


La Venganza is(n't) French for Trust

by Luci-Cunt_OG (Luci_Cunt)



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, High School, I didn't tag relationships because they don't have ship names and I felt weird XDD, M/M, Satanic Cults, ish, kids being stupid, whats the opposite of a hot girl summer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22382743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luci_Cunt/pseuds/Luci-Cunt_OG
Summary: Every year Clearvern High ships 9 seniors with the highest GPA's off on a week long, paid, getaway. This year's trip gets switched at the last second, shipping the students not to Tokyo, but the untamed wilds of Denali, Alaska.Connie and Isha are just happy to be hanging out, Bath's trying to convince Hip there's absolutely not a conspiracy, and Hip just might be onto something...Especially when the teachers start acting... weird...
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	1. They Get Selected (but Not for blood sacrifice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh boyyyyy, it's my first time posting an og work on here!!! Just a short, lmao what's the writers equivalent of "felt cute might delete later."
> 
> Anyways, feedback is wonderful, even critiques (just be polite please! :) I'll literally give you my first born if you comment XD <33
> 
> (oh and: [ the spotify playlist I blasted while writing this, it's chaotic– be warned)](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6LAaaTPZdYuyyZqyK9TZgy?si=U6TAzyaSQSqnYb7MrV6eJA)

“Hey Hip,” Dimitri said, leaning over the back of his seat so he could grin at Hip, who hummed and kept his eyes on the math he was doing. “You excited for the selection?” he asked. 

Hip shrugged, “sure, I’m pretty sure everyone is though,” he said, frowning at a particular problem. 

“Totally, well hey – wanna come hang at the library tonight? There’s some end-of-the-year movie thing they’re doing and Ana and I were planning on going,” he asked. Hip finally looked up and narrowed his eyes at Dimitri, who just smiled. 

“Why?” he asked bluntly, which seemed to catch Dimitri a little off guard, he recovered quickly though, dragging a hand through his hair. 

“Dunno… we just never hang out, thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask,” he said, Hip’s brow furrowed in confusion. Dimitri rarely talked to Hip, in fact mostly people rarely talked to Hip. He wasn’t known for being very friendly and had a hard time picking up on ‘obvious’ social queues so he usually stuck to himself. He and Dimitri had been in Mr. Parth’s pre-calc class all year, and they’d only ever spoken when paired up for an activity. 

“Uh… no, sorry, Bath and I are hanging out,” he said, going back to his math. Dimitri’s smile grew a bit strained but Hip wasn’t paying attention. 

“Right… Bath. Well, let me know if you change your mind,” he said, Hip hummed as a response. Dimitri turned back around after that and Hip was able to finish his work before the bell rang. He hurried to pack his bags and get to his next class – across campus. 

The halls of Clearvern High were packed as students lingered between classrooms. Noisy chatter and the green and black of Clearvern’s uniforms filled the halls. A couple students called out to Hip, and he sent them confused looks and half hearted waves as he walked across campus. 

Dimitri turned out to just be the first of many suddenly friendly students. It wasn’t that they’d been particularly hostile to Hip before, but he’d definitely never been called out to in the halls. He figured it probably had something to do with this selection coming up, people were probably just nervous. 

It was a relief to finally get to fifth period, and thankfully the room was still mostly empty (Hip had ducked in early to escape the halls) so he settled in, pulling out his notebook and fumbling to find a specific pen. He frowned a little when he noticed Bath wasn’t sitting in his usual seat. Come to think of it, Hip hadn’t seen him all day. They only had AP English together, but Hip usually saw him in the halls. He brushed it off though, now looking for his phone to see if Bath had texted him. 

He heard someone sit down in the seat next to him and looked up with a smile, expecting Bath – who usually sat there – but had to swallow a groan when he recognized Melissa. 

“Hey Hip,” she said cheerfully. 

Hip sighed, “hey Melissa,” he said, going back to digging through his bag. 

“Whole school’s going crazy over the selection, huh?” she asked, leaning forward over the aisle. It looked uncomfortable, since Mr. Frederickson had those desks that were attached to the chairs, but she didn’t seem to mind. 

“Yeah, crazy,” Hip said, sucking on his lip as he realized he’d forgotten his phone at home. He settled for his pen and turned in his seat to put the date on his paper and start doodling to avoid Melissa.

“Whatcha drawing?” she asked, just leaning farther over. 

Hip shrugged, “Dunno.”

“Looks pretty good,” she said, he shrugged again, “who do you think’s going to get selected?” she asked. 

“I don’t usually ask people about their GPA’s,” Hip said, eyes on his paper where he was drawing mindless circles in the margins. 

Melissa laughed, “Totally, but I mean, smart kids know smart kids right? You got any ideas?” 

Before Hip could answer another voice interrupted, “Lissa!” Melissa looked up to scowl at Bath, he just grinned at her, “Move for me?” 

“I’m sitting here,” she insisted, Bath raised a brow.

“In my seat?”

“Doesn’t have your name on it.”

“Move or you will _be_ moved.”

“Fine, _asshole_ , I’ll buzz of,” she huffed, making a big deal about standing up. Bath followed her with a smile and then dropped into the seat. 

Hip rolled his eyes. “Where’ve you been?” 

Bath’s smile turned mischievous, “Playin’ hookie,” he said, and Hip furrowed his brow. 

“Is Jamie ok?” 

Bath sighed, “He’s fine, I wasn’t skipping for him.” When Hip’s expression didn’t smooth, Bath reached over and flattened the wrinkle between his brows with his thumb, “Not everything I do is for my brother, Hip,” he said easily, dodging Hip’s halfhearted attempt at batting his hand away. 

“Then what happened?”

“Maybe I just didn’t feel like coming,” he said flippantly, leaning back in his chair. Balthazar Kent had been Hip’s friend since Kindergarten. They’d been forced to bond (literally) after a dare gone wrong involving super glue and stubborn boys who thought they could wait out the stickiness. Luckily Bath’s older brother – Jamie – was able to unstick them, physically at least, because after that they’d become practically inseparable. Hip probably spent more time in Bath’s house than his own. 

Today Bath was wearing ripped black jeans he’d probably end up being dress coded for, plus the uniform white button up and green-black blazer. He didn’t have his tie, but almost no one actually wore it anyways. He was a tall boy, long and gangly with pointy limbs and a pointier face. His skin was on the darker side, and he had high cheekbones and dark hair he kept short. Hip also knew he wanted tattoos and piercings (and what and where he wanted them) but he didn’t have any since they were expensive. 

Last year he and Hip had tried to give each other stick-and-pokes, but the ink (from an Inkmate pen out of Hip’s backpack) had faded away and now the designs were more scarring than tattoo. 

Hip was practically his opposite, he was average height with curly, dirty-blond hair that probably needed a trim and a round face. He always wore the school uniform–grey slacks, white button up, blazer and tie–and didn’t really want tattoos after the stick-and-poke experience. 

“Alright class,” Mr. Fredrickson started, having to raise his voice over the noise in the classroom as the bell rung and class started. He was standing at the front of the room wearing one of those clique jackets with patches on the elbows. He was a tall man with greying hair and thick glasses he liked to take off when he got frustrated so he could rub his temples.

Hip turned away from Bath to face the board. “I know we’re all excited for the selection but please, we’ve still got to get through this class, let’s try and focus in how about?” The class slowly quieted down and Mr. Fredrickson turned to start up the projector for some slide show presentation, Hip turned his eyes to his notebook when a piece of paper hit him in the head. He glared up at Bath – who looked innocently up at the board – and unfolded the paper. 

_What did Melissa want?_

Hip scribbled his response and tossed it back. 

_Dunno, something about the selection. People have been bothering me all day._

The paper came back before Hip could take any notes. 

_Dumbass, they’re trying to cozy up to you._

Hip gave him a quizzical look and Bath rolled his eyes and snatched the paper back, writing something else before handing it back. 

_Everyone knows you’re getting the plus one spot._

And then everything made sense. 

Every year Clearvern held it’s ‘Selection’ at the end of the year. They chose nine seniors who had the highest GPA over all four years of high school to go on a trip that was usually decided at the beginning of the year. Whoever had the highest GPA got to pick another student to bring along. 

_That’s so stupid._ He wrote back, ears burning a little. Bath smirked and looked like he was holding back a snicker as he passed the note back. 

_Oh, the plight of a genius._

Hip glared. 

_Stop tossing paper at me, some of us are trying to focus._

_He’s just going over Vonnegut again, and I know for a fact you have all of anything about him memorized._

Hip glared again and Bath stuck out his tongue. 

_Prick._

Mr. Frederickson suddenly cleared his throat, “Mr. Kent, Mr. Lark, something more interesting than my presentation?” he asked. Hip froze where he was leaned halfway across the aisle. 

“Do you want the alphabetized list or the color coded one?” Bath asked, and Hip quickly straightened back into his seat. 

Mr. Frederickson smiled tightly. “Very funny Balthazar, you know the rules though, are you reading it or am I?” 

Bath grinned and Hip groaned and hid his face in his arms. That grin meant nothing good. 

“Oh, teach,” Bath purred, “I’m not sure you want me to read this one out,” he said. Mr. Frederickson gave him a tired look. 

“Balthazar–”

“Fine, fine, you asked for it,” he said, clearing his throat and standing up. He held the tiny note out like it was a scroll and kept grinning as he started to ‘read’ in a mockingly high voice. “ _Omg Hip you won’t believe it but instead of second period I was behind the bleachers getting the best–_ ”

Mr. Frederickson tried to snatch the note away as the rest of the class burst into laughter. Bath dodged Mr. Frederickson and raised his brows, “careful there, this might count as child pornography, I’ve been working on those intimate details you’re so obsessed with,” he said. 

Mr. Frederickson took off his glasses to rub at his temple, “ _intricate,_ Balthazar, _intricate_ details.”

Bath grinned and Mr. Frederickson finally got ahold of the note. He tore it up and tossed it in the bin as he went up to the front again. He gave Bath and Hip stern looks. 

“You’re lucky we’re almost out Balthazar, and Hipolito–” he said, “I expected better.” Hip bit his lip and sank into his seat farther. Bath scoffed from beside him. 

“Come on, it’s not this fault he wants to read the next great Kama Sutra,” he said, and Hip kicked his ankle from under the desks. Bath rolled his eyes and rubbed away the wrinkle between Hip’s brows. 

“Anyways class–” Mr. Frederickson said, wrangling the class back into some semblance of focus. The rest of the hour passed uneventfully, and when the announcement came calling everyone to the auditorium for the assembly everyone drifted over. Nervous chatter was making the whole school hum and Hip stuck close to Bath towards the back of the crowd as they took their seats. 

The stage had been decorated with Clearvern’s colors and Hip could faintly hear some cheesy celebratory music playing from speakers above the stage. He leaned over to Bath, who’d crossed his arms and was leaning back against the row of bleachers behind him. He looked bored out of his skull. 

“It feels like we’re about to be sorted into labor factions based on personal traits,” Hip whispered. 

Bath cracked a smile. “Like you could survive any kind of labor,” he scoffed, “with your pretty face they’d sacrifice you for the opening,” he said. 

“You think I’d cause a rebellion?” Hip asked, ignoring Bath’s dig. 

He winked, “anything for you opener.” Hip laughed. 

After a while the principal wandered up onto the stage, he was a portly old man with a ruddy face and looked two seconds from a heart attack at all times. He grasped the microphone and smiled weakly into it. Ms. Versimold and Mr. Frederickson were standing behind him, both of them had been in charge of organizing the selection for the past years. Ms.Versimold was small woman, with mousy hair and all her features scrunched up around her small nose all the time. She wore pencil skirts and pullover sweaters – both always grey or brown.

“Good–” he flinched back as the mic hissed feedback and the whole auditorium groaned at the noise. “Sorry, sorry,” Mr. Tendland said, waving sheepishly before continuing–this time with his face farther from the mic thankfully. “Good morning students, as you all know and have been anticipating, it’s time for our yearly selection!” The students whooped and clapped at that, with only a couple sulking in the back corners. Mr. Tendland seemed to gain a little confidence from that as he continued on, “where we reward our top students with the opportunity to experience the world free of charge for a full week.” He paused for a moment to let the loud swell of cheers die down again.

“As I’m sure you all know the way this works by now: nine of our senior students are selected for their outstanding grade point average for all 3 and a half years of high school so far, the student with the highest out of the nine will be allowed to choose one guest older than 16 to take with them on the trip,” he explained, Hip tried to ignore all the eyes that turned to him, instead watching as Mr. Tendland held up a handful of envelopes, “and here are our wonderful selected!” 

The students cheered again as Mr. Tendland started opening the first, he leaned into the mic while reading the first. “In order of GPA–the person with the ninth highest total GPA: Leticia Robertson!” he announced. Cheering erupted through the room as Leticia stood up, beaming, and accepted high fives all the way up to the stage. 

Hip recognized her as the captain of the varsity volleyball team, she had dark skin and long brown hair he’d never seen out of a ponytail. Today she was wearing the uniform’s pleated skirt with the button up, but she was missing the tie and blazer and was wearing wool socks with birkenstocks instead of the black shoes. 

She shook hands with the teachers and Mr. Tendland, accepting her envelope and standing at the end of the stage–waving quickly out to the crowd.  
“In eighth place–a tie between Reginold Kleg and Lucas Virgil!” Reggie jumped up and mock-jogged onto the stage, pumping his fist the whole way to the students applause. He was another jock–captain of the varsity football team–and he was wearing his letterman jacket over jeans and a plain t-shirt. He was tall, with black hair that was meticulously styled.

“Oh great, more air for that big head,” Bath remarked flatly as he watched Reggie high five the teachers and kiss a still-beaming Leticia. Hip hummed his agreement–Reggie could be an arrogant asshole. 

Lucas wasn’t in the crowd and there was a bit of an awkward pause as people shifted and looked around for him. Hip knew he was in the chess club, but Lucas was even more reclusive than Hip so he didn’t really know anything about him. 

“Lucas Virgil?” Mr. Tendland called again, Ms. Versimold stepped forward and whispered something to the principal, who frowned. “Ah, not here today–well,” he shuffled the envelopes around a bit before leaning back in, “sixth place goes to Tennessee Williams!” 

Tennessee stood up and stumbled to the front. She was a tiny girl wearing a massive, fuzzy jacket that seemed to swallow her whole, she smiled shyly at the teachers and took her spot next to Reggie and Leticia. 

“In fifth is Balthazar Kent!” the class cheered as Bath raised a brow and slid his eyes to Hip, who grinned at him. He stood up after a moment and made his way up to the stage with his hands in his pockets, accepting the letter and turning to grin and bow dramatically, thanking random people in the cheering crowd. 

“Fourth place is Constance DiMarco!” Connie stood up with a bright smile, she was holding hands with her girlfriend–Isha–who was beaming at her. Connie was yet another jock–this time varsity captain of the lacrosse team. She had pale skin and short blonde hair, she was wearing a sleeveless white blouse that probably barely saved her from dress code, as well as the uniform slacks. Her freckled arms were covered in bracelets that clinked slightly as she moved up to the stage. 

“Third place–Ishmael Dunston!” another round of cheering as Isha stood and grinned with Connie. She was wearing Connie’s lacrosse jacket with a pair of sweatpants and a billowy almost-crop-top. Her black hair fell down her back in an unbroken sheet and she had a round face. She fist bumped Leticia and Tennessee when she got to the stage. 

“Second place is Ana Krakowski!” Ana rose out of her seat with a loud whoop that sent laughter rippling through the auditorium. She had curly ginger hair in a bushy ponytail and was wearing the uniform’s skirt and shirt, but her legs were covered in neon-colored bandaids and her shirt had pins covering nearly every inch of it. She and Connie hugged–she was on the lacrosse team–and took her place on stage, whispering something that made Tennessee and Leticia laugh. 

“And now…” Mr. Tendland said dramatically, “the first place winner–the student with the highest culminating GPA is–” he paused, the students were quiet, waiting to start clapping, “Mr. Hipolito Lark!” 

Hip’s ears burned as he walked up to the stage, accepting claps on the back and cheers. He caught Bath’s knowing smirk from the stage–probably at Mr. Tendland mispronouncing Hip’s name as Hippo-lito and not Hip- _ol_ -i-to.

Mr. Tendland shook his hand and smiled warmly. 

“Congrats Mr. Lark,” he said, and Hip smiled shakily, ducking his head as soon as Mr. Tendland let go of him and rushing over to where Bath was standing. Isha leaned down the line and grinned at him. 

“Nice going kid,” she said with a wink. 

“I’ll get you for this,” Ana teased with a grin. Hip smiled back at them and then turned his eyes to his fidgeting hands.  
Bath elbowed him. “Get ready, you’re about to cause a rebellion,” he said, smirking. Hip rolled his eyes and shoved him away. 

“I have one final announcement students!” Mr. Tendland said, waving his arms to get the students to calm down as Ms. Versimold passed him a note. “There’s been a change in destinations due to travel complications, and instead of Tokyo all of you will be traveling to–” he paused again to read the note, his face pinching in confusion, “Denali, Alaska?”


	2. They Can't Believe Their... Luck?

“ _Alaska??_ ” Hip was saying dramatically, waving his hands around and screwing up his face. “Why Alaska? Plus Denali’s a whole park! Anchorage I would almost understand but _Denali?_ ” 

They were walking away from the school to Bath’s apartment. Most of the school had had the same reaction as Hip and the auditorium had bubbled into confused muttering and furrowed brows as even Mr. Tendland looked to Ms. Versimold for confirmation. She’d just nodded and he’d cleared his throat– _well, of course Denali is a wonderful park, I’m sure you’ll all have a wonderfully… insightful… trip!_

Bath couldn’t really care less where they were going, he was mostly just confused as to why he was going. Detentions were supposed to remove you from the options – no matter what your GPA was.

He pushed the thought out of his head for now though, instead focusing on Hip, who was still muttering about the new location. 

“...it just doesn’t make sense,” he said, and Bath smirked. 

“Careful Hip, your privilege is showing,” he teased. It made Hip’s hackles raise and he furrowed his brow and glared. The furrowing made a wrinkle form between Hip’s brows and Bath reached out to press it away with his thumb. 

“I’m not–” he batted Bath’s hand away, “I’m not being privileged, I just don’t get why, of all the places, we’re going to _Denali._ ”

Bath rolled his eyes, “what, are you afraid of bears?”

“Of course I am! Everyone’s afraid of bears!” Hip said incredulously, and Bath laughed. They passed by the cafe they sometimes stopped at for breakfast and one of the regular baristas – Mark – waved through the windows at them when he spotted them. Bath grinned and waved back but Hip was too busy muttering to notice. 

“You’re obsessing over this,” Bath said, and Hip’s jaw clenched. 

“I am not! It just doesn’t make sense!” 

“Sounds like you’re obsessing over it.”

“If I was obsessing I’d–” Bath grabbed Hip’s collar to keep him from walking into the road as a car roared past. Hip barely noticed, “–be thinking something messed up was going on,” he finished, still staring at the ground. Then he gasped and looked up at Bath, “oh my god, what if something messed up is going on?” he whispered. He had freckles all over his nose and muddy green eyes Bath knew he hated for some reason. In the afternoon sunlight he seemed to glow and Bath’s cheek twitched as he bit the inside of his cheek. 

“Sounds like you’re obsessing,” Bath said, hoping he sounded casual. 

It hadn’t been very long since he’d realized he was probably in love with his best friend – his wall still had a hole in it from the panic attack. He was lucky Jamie had been out of the house so he could tack a poster over it and pretend it never happened. But now that he’d realized it he couldn’t stop second guessing everything he did. 

_Was he staring too long? Was that touch ok? Did that sound weird? I sound weird. What was that laugh? Why are you thinking so much? Has he always had his hair like that? Why are you looking at his hair?_

Sometimes he wished he could shut off his brain. 

“...they’ve always planned it so they probably aren’t pulling something–” Hip was saying, muttering mostly to the ground as they walked down the street. They passed by a church with a giant portrait of Jesus painted on the side. He was looking down at them with what looked like a pitying expression. Bath looked up at the Jesus painting as Hip mumbled about possible conspiracies and thought: _why him???_

A darker part of him added, _why a_ him?

He swallowed quickly and tried to zone back into whatever it was Hip was talking about. He blinked when he realized Hip had switched subjects and was now talking about which states had the highest murder rates and why those numbers don’t really matter because they don’t really take into account population density so–

“Hip,” Bath said, and Hip stopped mid sentence, blinking up at him, “tell me again you’re not obsessing,” he said. 

Hip chewed on his lip. 

_Great,_ Bath thought, _even though that was anything but great._

“Ok… maybe I am…” Hip admitted, then he blinked when Bath stopped him from walking again, he furrowed his brow and Bath pressed the wrinkle away. 

“We’re here,” he said, going into the apartment building, Hip let out a small oh, and Bath couldn’t really hide his smile. They had to take the stairs because the elevator didn’t work and by the time they got to the door Bath could hear Johnny Cash playing – blasting – from inside. Hip grinned and Bath rolled his eyes as he unlocked the door. 

“That you Bath?” Jamie called from somewhere in the kitchen, Bath heard the sink running as he and Hip came in. 

“Hip’s with me,” he called back.

The apartment Jamie and Bath lived in was pretty small. The door opened to a tiny hallway that lead to the kitchen/ living room. There was a bathroom to the right and Bath and Jamie’s bedrooms were across the room and down another hallway. They’d lived in the apartment since Bath was eleven. Before that he’d lived with his parents – he also hadn’t known Jamie existed until their parents died and instead of getting shipped into foster care he was handed to his brother who was twelve years older. 

Up until that point his parents had only talked about his sister, who had died. That turned out not to be true, since she never existed, they just hadn’t taken it well when Jamie told them he wasn’t their daughter. They’d kicked him out at 16 and mourned their “dead” daughter when he officially transitioned. 

“Hey Hip!” Jamie said cheerfully, turning and wiping his hands on his apron. Bath rolled his eyes when he noticed it was the “kiss the cook” one he’d gotten Jamie for Christmas last year. It had been a joke but Jamie wouldn’t stop wearing it. 

“Hey Jamie,” Hip said, sliding up to sit at the counter that acted as the only separation between the kitchen and the living room. He and Bath dropped their bags on the floor and Bath went around the counter to the fridge.

“How was school? It was selection day right?” Jamie asked, he looked a lot like Bath. With dark skin, lanky features and a pointy face. He was just as quick to smile but usually wore brighter outfits than Bath did. 

“Yeah, Bath got fifth place,” Hip said as Bath pulled out leftover enchiladas from the fridge. 

“What? That’s amazing!” Jamie said, beaming as he took the enchiladas away from Bath and replaced them with an apple. Bath scowled and tossed the apple to Hip, who happily dug in. “What about you?” Jamie asked, putting the enchiladas away while looking at Hip, who’s ears turned red. 

“I’m going too,” he said. 

“He got first,” Bath said, going on his toes to reach the bag of chips he knew would be up there. 

“Way to go guys, it’s–ah, Tokyo right?” Jamie asked, shoving Bath away from the fridge and pointing to the fruit bowl on the counter. Bath scowled again but gave up, he had snacks stashed in his room anyways. 

“No they changed it, now we’re going to Denali,” Hip said, Jamie made a face. 

“Like, _Alaska?_ ” 

“Isn’t it weird?” Hip said. Bath shot Jamie a significant look. 

“I mean–Alaska’s gorgeous! You’ll have fun,” Jamie amended quickly, Hip rolled his eyes. 

“Bath thinks I’m crazy too–I’m not, something’s weird about this,” he said. 

“I _know_ you’re crazy,” Bath said, “when’s dinner?” he asked Jamie, ignoring Hip’s glare. 

“Soonish, are you staying Hip? I can give you a ride to the airport,” Jamie offered, Hip smiled. 

“Thanks, mom and dad were going to be back but something came up,” he said. Neither Jamie nor Bath mentioned how something always seemed to come up. Hip practically lived by himself, with his parents always overseas working for their fancy companies. 

“Cool, you’ve got clothes here right?” Jamie asked, Hip nodded. “Perfect, well, I was feeling like alfredo, dunno about you guys.”


	3. Pessimism and Dog Houses

“You can’t possibly believe that,” Isha said, stuffing a few dollars in a tip jar without taking her eyes off of Connie. Connie did the same and they left the small airport coffee shop. The main building was bustling, they were taking a noonish flight and it seemed everyone else in the world had that same idea. Isha and Connie were wandering the airport, killing time until the flight when Isha had made the mistake of doubting human morality. 

“It’s just as naive for you to believe everything’s corrupt,” Connie said, sipping her drink and frowning at Isha. 

“I don’t believe _everything_ is corrupt,” Isha said as they wandered into a bookshop, “I just think the only way the school would keep doing this trip is if they were getting something for it, plus, Reggie’s on this trip– I know for a fact he’s failing chem and the only way he would have gotten on this trip is if his parents greased the wheel a bit.” 

Connie’s lips pursed, “well I got selected, and my dad definitely didn’t grease the wheel,” she pointed out, Isha rolled her eyes. 

“That’s _why_ you got selected, you and Kent. You’re both smart enough that it’s believable so they can use you as defense for when people accuse them of getting paid off,” Isha said. Connie lived with her dad, she didn’t know who her mom was but it had been a long time since she cared. She’d gotten into Clearvern on a full ride scholarship. Isha's parents probably hadn't been paid off – Isha was certain if they had been they would have told her about it. Her parents were a bit eccentric, Isha had actually grown up bouncing around. She lived on a commune for a while, then a military base, in a tent for a while, in a van, in Chelsea New York – just all over.

“Or, it’s a good way for the school to spend the rest of their savings so they can stay a non-profit. Plus you’re being mean, leave Reggie alone,” Connie chided, and Isha scoffed. 

“I don’t care about his feelings,” she said, Connie gave her a flat look. 

“You’re only saying that because he asked me to try and set you guys up.”

Isha shrugged, “ _Mmmhmm,_ ” she hummed, not bothering to argue, “if the guy who didn’t know we were dating is smart enough to get eighth best GPA for all of high school then either someone’s throwing cash or Clearvern isn’t as prestigious as they claim to be,” Isha said. 

Connie sighed, “it was seventh grade, he honestly didn’t know we _could_ date Isha.”

“That excuse doesn’t work, it’s the 21st Century,” she said. Connie’s lips pursed and she sucked in a breath. Isha waved a hand. “Lets not talk about this anymore, what time is it?” Connie checked her watch. 

She looked gorgeous, wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and her lacrosse hoodie–which Isha one hundred percent planned on stealing at some point during the flight. Underneath she knew Connie was just wearing a tank top that left her arms bare. All her various bracelets clinked as she pulled up her sleeve to check her watch. Her bangs probably would have fallen in her face but Isha had helped her pin them back. 

All she had with her was a carry on. Isha had no idea how she’d managed to pack so light, Isha had a carry on, a purse, and a suitcase. Plus this was after Connie had talked her down. 

“Time for us to head back,” Connie hummed, then she frowned and turned to look at something in the crowd. Isha looked around to try and catch what she’d heard but all she saw was the crowded airport. She could see the rest of their classmates hovering by the terminal in a cluster. There was only four of them, since Tennessee and Lucas hadn’t been able to come apparently, and they’d taken Hip’s plus one because of 'travel issues.' Last Isha had seen Ana was trying to seduce a Cinnabon worker for free food.

“Something up?” Isha asked, Connie just frowned and started over to where their classmates were. Once they came closer Isha heard the loud snapping voices. Hip’s face was almost completely red and he looked a second from exploding, Reggie looked just as pissed while Kent stood behind Hip looking amused but tense and Leticia kept whining at Reggie to just walk away.

“I’m just stating a fact, it’s not like you would have gotten selected without–” Reggie was saying. 

“Like you would know what a fact was you–” Hip was cut off as Kent put a hand on his shoulder and dragged him back as Reggie took a step forward. 

“You gonna finish that you little shit?” Reggie said menacingly. Leticia started trying to pull him away while glaring at Kent and Hip.

“Come on Reg–”

“No, he’s not, I’m sure you’re creative enough to come up with your own ending,” Kent said. Reggie flushed in anger and stepped forward again. This time Connie and Isha intervened. 

“What’s going on guys?” Isha said, looking between them. 

“None of your business,” Leticia snapped, Isha raised a brow and Connie frowned. 

“No need for hostility, she was just asking a question,” Connie said. 

“It really doesn’t matter,” Kent said, he was smiling but it looked sharp. “Reggie just doesn’t know what decency is.” 

Hip glared at him, “he was–”

“I _said_ it doesn’t matter,” Kent snapped. Hip shut his mouth but he didn’t look happy about it. 

“Yeah, listen to your little bodyguard there or I might have to make you shut up,” Reggie said. 

Kent laughed humorlessly. “Reggie, you comedian, threaten him again and I’ll break your nose.”

“Guys, guys,” Isha said, stepping between them and holding out her arms, “can you save the dick measuring for when we’re not in an airport?” Kent smiled and nodded while Hip glared holes into Reggie’s forehead. Reggie huffed but eventually let Leticia lead him away, once they were out of earshot Isha leaned over to Hip and Kent. “The hell was that about?” she asked, looking between the two. 

Hip had switched to glaring at Kent, who was ignoring him. He still had that forced looking smile plastered on his face. 

“Like I said, _nothing,_ ” Kent said, “Reggie just thought it would be classy to point out I’m probably a pity selected.” Connie pursed her lips and Isha frowned. 

“It’s not nothing,” Hip fumed, “you can’t just let him say shit like that!”

“I don’t care what a deadbeat jock has to say about two dead assholes, so _drop it_ Hip,” Kent said through clenched teeth. Again, Hip didn’t look pleased but he shut his mouth, he furrowed his brow and crossed his arms over his chest. Kent sighed and reached out to press the wrinkle out of Hip’s forehead, Hip slapped his hand away and walked off. 

“Fine,” Kent snapped, crossing his own arms and turning his back. 

“Sorry Reggie sucks,” Connie offered, Kent just waved her off and after a moment started tapping his foot. Then he growled and shook out his arms, turning and storming after Hip into the crowd. 

Connie and Isha shared a look. 

“Huh,” Isha said, and Connie burst out laughing.

Someone came over the intercom and announced it was boarding time. They started walking towards the lines, spotting Mr. Frederickson and Ms. Versimold ahead checking off attendance and making sure everyone was there. 

“How far in the dog house do you think he is?” Connie asked, Isha snorted. 

“It’s gonna be a fun plane ride,” Isha said, she tossed her now empty coffee cup in the trash as they came to their line and waited to board. She looked back at her girlfriend, who smiled when she caught her eyes. Isha’s smile grew and she leaned down to kiss Connie. 

“Love you,” Isha said, Connie beamed. 

“Love you,” she said, looping her arms around Isha’s waist while they waited. 

It took another couple of minutes for everyone to be accounted for – Hip and Kent were the last to show up, now both of them looking pissed. Isha and Connie ended up having seats across the aisle from them, which meant they got the front row seats to Hip’s silent treatment as Kent tried and failed to get him to talk. He kept giving up and pouting for a while before trying to poke at Hip some more, Hips only response being to make a big deal about turning up the volume on his headphones.


	4. Less Witnesses is a Good Thing... Right?

Connie wasn’t the biggest fan of flying, so the fact that they had to take two planes to get into the middle-of-nowhere Alaska was already souring her day. Luckily she had Isha and they mostly complained about how bad the third Jurassic Park movie is.

All the students landed in Anchorage and had about twenty minutes to buy any last minute items before leaving behind civilization. Reggie, Leticia and Ana snuck off for a while and Hip disappeared into a book store which meant Kent paced outside of it for a few minutes before giving up and following him in. 

Isha and Connie opted to stick by the meetup zone, but they did grab more coffee from a cafe nearby. Then Mr. F and Ms. V herded everyone onto a bus and they drove to another, smaller, airport. These planes could only fit four people tops, so they were split into two groups and sent up separately. Isha and Connie were in the first round with Ana and Mr. F, so they chilled at the tiny airport until the other group arrived. 

Alaska wasn’t exactly what Connie had expected, she’d never been before–only heard about the Northern Lights and how cold it was. So far the biggest shock was the fact that it was nearing seven in the evening and it was still bright as noon. It felt a little eerie, especially with the fact that everything in Alaska felt flat and short. 

The airport they’d landed in was literally in the middle of nowhere, Mr. F told them the nearest town – Cantwell – was about twenty miles away, and there was some tiny boardwalk closer to eleven away but everywhere Connie looked she could see nothing but wilderness and the airport–which was just a runway and a tiny, run down shack of a building. Everything was also surprisingly short, none of the trees reached much taller than her and they were pretty sparse. Instead, autumn colored, scruffy looking bushes and yellow-green moss covered the flat land. The blue sky above looked endless, only stopped by the tall mountains circling around the land. It was brisk, but not quite as cold as she’d expected, which was good since Isha had stolen her hoodie during the flight. 

When the other students, and Ms. Versimold, finally arrived they all loaded into yet another bus where they drove for about an hour – passing that little boardwalk Mr. F had talked about. The two teachers told the kids to get off the bus and then lead them on a two mile hike to the base of the mountains. Everyone was exhausted by the time the cabin finally came into view. 

The cabin, at least, did look nice. It was a sturdy, two story wooden building with big windows covered in blackout curtains. Ms. Versimold unlocked the door and let the students in, revealing a decently large interior. The whole first floor was one massive room, with a big kitchen, dining room, and living room that had a tv and a large, comfortable looking couch. There were stairs that lead up to the second floor, which was set up like a balcony so you could look over the railing into the lower floor. 

There were five doors leading away to rooms, but Connie assumed one was probably a bathroom. Everything was either cream or oak colored, and it was all surprisingly nice. 

Mr. F gathered everyone on the first floor before they could rush off to claim rooms. He gave the usual _“stay safe, don’t go out after seven pm, use the buddy system,”_ talk and then explained that him and Ms. Versimold were staying in another cabin a little ways away. He also told them there was a cook they’d hired to bring them pre-made dinners every night, but other than that they’d have to fend for themselves and dig through the stocked kitchen for food. 

The teachers also confiscated the students phones, pointing to the satellite phone in the kitchen if they had an emergency, (they quickly found out it didn't even work when Ana tried to order pizza). There was quite a bit of whining about that but it wasn’t unexpected, phones were always taken for these trips until the last few days – something about _“immersing yourself in the experience.”_ Connie was pretty sure that was just Boomer propaganda.

They also had the next day to recover – which everyone seemed very happy about – and then Ms. V and Mr. F left the students alone. 

Since there was only four rooms everyone except Ana paired up. They were all too tired to fight over rooms but they all looked identical so it didn’t really matter – plus they all had two beds. Isha and Connie both couldn’t be bothered to change, so they just crawled under the blankets in their clothes. Connie pressed close to Isha, her arms wrapped around her waist. 

“Night,” Connie whispered into Isha’s ear. She shivered and Connie grinned. 

“Do _not,_ ” Isha said. Connie hummed innocently but trailed her nose lightly along Isha’s neck. “Not happening. Go to sleep or I’ll kick you out,” Isha said, voice tight. Connie smiled and stopped, hugging Isha tighter before settling into the pillows. They were both asleep before they could think and luckily morning came slowly. 

Connie woke up first, still holding Isha which meant her arm was asleep. She winced at the pins-and-needles but didn’t want to move and wake up Isha, who was still snoring lightly. She looked perfect in sleep – her hair was a mess and her mouth was wide open, face smashed into the pillow. Connie felt a swell of adoration for her girlfriend and, without really thinking, planted a soft kiss on her shoulder. 

It wasn’t enough to wake Isha up, but a loud crash from downstairs was. Connie tensed, watching the door, and Isha groaned, stretching out and pinning Connie’s dead arm under her. 

“ _Ow, ow babe–_ ” Connie said, Isha rolled so Connie could free her arm and then turned to face her. She looked all squinty and sleepy.

“Time?” she asked groggily. 

Connie checked her watch. “It’s almost noon,” Connie whispered back. Isha groaned again and shoved her face into the pillow. 

“ _Too early,_ ” she said, muffled. 

Connie laughed. “Drama queen,” she said, shifting to get up and figure out what the bang had been–or at least get some coffee. A loud whine stopped her and she looked back to see Isha holding out her hands, face still in the pillow. Connie breathed a laugh, “it’s time to get up, I don’t wanna lay in bed all day,” Connie said, and Isha turned her face so she could pout at Connie. 

“ _Whyyyyyy,_ ” she asked, drawing out the word. 

Connie rolled her eyes and peeled off her shirt, digging through her pack for another. She felt Isha’s eyes on her. “Well now you _definitely_ have to come back,” she said, and Connie heard the mattress shift as she crawled over the bed until Connie was within reach. Fingers appeared, feather soft, trailing down Connie’s back until Isha pulled slightly on the strap of her bra. 

“Come on,” Isha cooed, still drawing out the words. “I doubt anyone else is even up.” 

Connie turned around, shirt in hand and smiled at the wolfish grin on Isha’s face. Connie leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips, which Isha quickly deepened. Then she leaned just a little out of range and Connie started to follow her before she realized what Isha was doing. She rolled her eyes and pulled away. 

“You’re like a siren,” Connie said, Isha grinned. 

“Thank you, is it working?” she asked, leaning back and giving Connie a sultry look that made Connie’s gut tug. 

“I promised Leticia we’d go for a run in the morning,” she said, and Isha scoffed. 

“Boring, I hate jocks,” she groaned, rolling away and tucking herself back into the bed until she was buried up to her nose. Connie laughed and leaned over to kiss her but Isha blocked her with the blanket. 

“I’m trying to sleep,” she said petulantly, and Connie rolled her eyes but got on the bed and crawled until she was hovering over Isha, who pointedly was closing her eyes. Connie tried to pull the blanket back but Isha just ducked farther under it. 

Connie smirked and backed up to the end of the bed, one of Isha’s eyes popped open curiously and watched as Connie slid away. She must of thought Connie was leaving, because she closed her eyes again and burrowed deeper. Connie grinned, grabbing the end of the blankets and diving under them. Isha squealed and then burst out laughing as Connie crawled up until she was laying ontop of Isha. 

“I wanna kiss goodbye,” Connie said, Isha was too busy laughing. 

“You cheated,” she said.

“But I won.” 

“Or did you?” and then Isha’s arms wrapped around Connie’s waist. 

Connie laughed. “Siren,” she said, Isha just grinned. 

Someone knocked on the door. 

“Ugh,” Isha said. 

“One sec,” Connie called. 

“Are we running?” Leticia’s voice called from outside, muffled by the door. Connie looked back down at Isha, who was still latched onto her. 

“Hurry up!” Ana’s voice called and Isha rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, fine, leave me– alone and heartbroken,” she said dramatically, but she let go of Connie. Connie pressed a quick kiss to Isha’s eyelid and climbed out of the bed. The cold air hit her like a wall after being under all the blankets. 

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute Leticia,” Connie called, looking around until she found her discarded shirt. She tugged it on and gave Isha – again burrowed in the blankets – a final look and then headed out. 

Leticia and Ana were waiting for her in the hallway, Leticia wearing a pair of athletic leggings and Reggie’s hoodie and Ana in running shorts and her team hoodie. Connie smiled at them. Leticia looked relatively awake but Ana seemed to be falling asleep on her feet.

“Morning, how long have you guys been up?” she asked, Ana yawned. 

“Just now, Leticia woke me up,” she said.

Leticia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “It’s noon,” she said, Ana shoved her. 

“Exactly, let a woman sleep,” she said. 

“Amen!” Isha called from inside their room. Ana and Leticia both laughed and Connie rolled her eyes. The three of them went downstairs, ate a few bananas, stretched out, and then headed out. 

It was frigid outside, but the day was clear and gorgeous. Connie’s throat stung by the time they got back to the cabin – they’d opted to just circle it for now so they wouldn’t get lost. She, Leticia, and Ana all panted as they slowed to a stop at the door. Connie felt relief pour through her like warm water as her muscles burned and relaxed. 

She hadn’t gone out on a run the day before, and practice had been cancelled thanks to the assembly. 

Connie lagged behind the other two to stretch out her legs against the cabin as they went inside. She’d just finished when she heard a faint _baaaah._

Her head whipped around and she frowned, trying to figure out what had made the noise. Everything looked quiet though. She shook her head out, thinking she’d imagined it, when the noise happened again. This time with the snapping of twigs from what sounded like behind the cabin. 

Connie grabbed a stick and held it like a bat, she slowly started walking around the cabin, eyes darting around. 

_Mbaaahhh._ Connie jumped at least a foot in the air as the noise came again – this time really close, but muffled. She looked around frantically, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Then she spotted something white. 

_Baaaaah._ She blinked for a moment, and then realized she was looking at a little white lamb that had gotten stuck in a hole under the cabin. It’s legs were sticking out and scrambling weakly around, trying to shove itself out. 

_Baaah!_ It called, Connie dropped her stick and knelt down next to it. She glanced around, but it didn’t look like there was anyone else around, so she reach out and gently grabbed the lamb. It started struggling against her as soon as she touched it, so she cooed at it and tried to pull it out as carefully as she could. It seemed really stuck though, and she ended up having to dig the hole out a little more to get it out. 

As soon as it’s head popped out though–covered in dirt–it _baaaah_ -ed in her face and squirmed out of her arms, bolting away. She blinked after it for a few moments, before a voice startled her. 

“Connieeee!” Leticia’s voice called from the porch, “Connie?” she called again. This time Connie stood up and went around the cabin. 

“Sorry, there was–” she paused, glancing behind her at the empty trees and frowned. Leticia looked at her curiously. “Nevermind– sorry– I was just stretching out,” she said, Leticia shrugged and they went back into the cabin, Connie only glancing over her shoulder once before she closed the door. 

“We were thinking about a smoothie” Leticia said, perky as usual. Ana groaned at her positive attitude but Connie smiled, shaking away any thoughts of the mystery lamb. 

“What kind of fruit do they have?”

“You guys are not human,” Ana said, flopping down on the couch and throwing an arm over her eyes. Leticia and Connie went into the kitchen to dig around in the freezer, eventually turning up some spinach, frozen strawberries, yogurt, and grapefruit juice. Connie added a few bananas to the blender and they called it good. 

Ana joined them in the kitchen and they all drank their smoothies while leaning against the counters. 

“Cap I think you’re trying to kill me, it’s supposed to be vacation,” Ana groaned once half her smoothie was gone. Connie laughed. 

“How’d you guys sleep?” Leticia asked. 

“Like a rock,” Ana said. 

Connie nodded, “I was out before my head hit the pillow.” 

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting the beds to be so nice,” Leticia said, Ana and Connie nodded. “I would have been up earlier but Reggie wouldn’t let me get up,” she added. 

“Same with Isha,” Connie said and the two of them scoffed despite their fond expressions. 

“ _OoooOOo,_ ” Ana mocked, “ _‘I’m dating and couldn’t get up because I have someone to cuddle with._ ’”

It made Connie and Leticia laugh, while Ana fought off a smile. 

After a moment Connie sobered and looked to Leticia. “What was up at the airport?” she asked, and Leticia pursed her lips and focused on swirling the last bits of her smoothie around the bottom of her cup. 

“Reggie was being a dick,” she said, “he wasn’t trying to be but then Hip blew up and he wouldn’t admit he was a dick.”

“What happened at the airport?” Ana asked, eyes darting between them. 

Leticia sighed, “Hip almost tore Reggie’s head off for being an ass to Kent,” she said. 

Ana made an ‘o’ face, “is that why Kent’s been all pissy? It looked like he was getting pretty severe silent treatment,” she said. 

“Yeah, well, Kent tried to play it off and Hip wasn’t having it, I don’t think he’s too happy right now,” Leticia said, then she looked up at Connie. “Sorry about snapping at Isha by the way, I didn’t really mean it,” she said. 

Connie waved her off, “She knows, don't worry, but thanks,” she said. “Have the teachers been by today?” 

“Yeah, Mr. F stopped by to check in at like, eight or something,” Leticia said. “He said they’d be back at like one to check in when people are awake,” she added.

Ana groaned, “how can you possibly be so cheery after getting up that early??”

Leticia rolled her eyes, “stop being so dramatic.”

“Whatever, I’m going to get a shower, I stink,” Ana said, Leticia tensed. 

“Dibs,” she said, and Ana made a face. 

“You can’t call dibs I just said I was going to go–”

“First to touch it gets it,” Leticia said and then tore off for the stairs. Ana barely hesitated before she was bolting up the stairs after her. Connie smiled as she heard Leticia’s indignant screech and Ana’s cheer of triumph. There was more bickering and then a haughty laugh as Connie heard the door close. Ana appeared shortly after, a sour expression on her face. 

Connie grinned at her and Ana pointed an accusing finger at her, eyes narrowed, “shut it,” she snapped, picking up her discarded smoothie and finishing it with a gulp. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Connie said with a laugh.


	5. Truth or Dare and Unrecommended Snooping

Hip knew, logically, that he was being a little petty. As Bath had pointed out – it wasn’t like he could resolve the argument silently. But, in this case there wasn’t anything Hip would have to do. Bath knew exactly what he wanted and it wouldn’t help to point it out. 

They'd had this argument before, with Bath just laughing off topics that Hip knew were bothering him. And, if they had been little things, like making fun of him for being so anal about brushing his teeth – Hip wouldn’t have cared. But it was big stuff, like bringing up his douchebag parents and playing it off like a joke. Bath was getting better about dealing with them, but it was very obviously still a sore spot for him and it pissed Hip off that he just wanted to act like it was nothing. 

He hated when Bath acted like nothing bothered him, especially since he’d been there to help Bath deal with the aftermath of their deaths. He’d been battling grief and guilt over feeling upset about their deaths and bringing it up with Jamie _“hadn’t been an option.”_ Hip knew he still wasn’t over it, and he probably wouldn’t be until he actually talked to Jamie, but that still hadn’t happened. 

The only real problem with the silence was that both Hip and Bath were unbearably stubborn. So far it had just been a day of Bath trying to convince Hip to stop being mad, give up, get pissy and storm off, only to come back and do it all over again. 

It was around nine in the evening when Bath finally stormed in again. They’d gone down to dinner – pizza – and Hip had remained silent, just going back up to the room and ignoring practically everyone at this point. He wasn’t that hungry and the pizza had red sauce, which Hip thought was vile. He plopped down on his bed and took out his book and read until the door burst open and Bath came in, shutting the door aggressively behind him. Hip didn’t bother looking up from his book and Bath paced in the corner of his vision for a while. 

Eventually he growled and came to stand in front of Bath. 

“Ok, _fine,_ you win, whatever it is you want, I’ll do it,” he said. Hip turned the page of his book and Bath threw his arms up, pacing again. “What do you _want_ Hip!?” he groaned, Hip kept reading. “I don’t know, ok? I know you think I do–I know that’s why you haven’t said anything but I don’t _know,_ ” he said. Then his shoulders slumped a little and he stopped pacing. “Please?” he asked. 

Hip tossed the book aside and pointed an accusing finger at him, “you do know you just don’t want to admit it,” he snapped. 

A muscle in Bath’s jaw twitched and he groaned again and pulled at his hair, “you don’t know me, how do you know I know,” he growled. 

“Fine,” Hip said, turning up his nose and crossing his arms. Bath’s jaw clenched again and for a second he looked like he actually wanted to strangle Hip. Hip didn’t care though, he knew Bath was just trying to wait Hip out and it wasn’t going to work. 

Bath cursed, “Why do you even care!” he said, finally budging, “it’s not like it affects you!”

Hip glared, “it doesn’t matter if it affects me or not, you’re just hurting yourself! If you don’t tell people not to talk about things they’ll keep doing it!” Hip snapped back, and Bath snarled, turning away and pulling at his hair. “You can’t just keep laughing things off.”

“Again, I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Bath said scathingly. He’d gotten quieter and Hip knew he was really pissed off now. Jamie and Hip got mad in the same way, their frustration was loud and slamming doors. It was easy to spot and volatile, but their anger was quiet and vicious. From what little Hip had met of their parents, it seemed they’d both gotten it from them, which was probably why neither of them stopped laughing if they could help it.

“It’s my business because I don’t like to see you hurt you dumbass,” Hip said. Bath’s eyes snapped up to him, they were dark. 

“Then stop looking,” he hissed, storming out. Hip scrambled up to follow him but Bath turned quick and shoved him back. “ _Leave it._ I’m not going to do this _here._ ” 

Hip blinked, and then realized where they were – away from home, surrounded by classmates and stuck. The realization was a bit like a punch and by the time Hip gathered himself again Bath was gone. The door didn’t slam this time, and Hip was left alone in silence. He blew out a long sigh and crouched down on the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees and taking deep breaths. After a moment he groaned again and pulled at his hair. 

_Dumb, stupid, dumb dumb–_

He felt like an asshole, Bath was right, he shouldn’t have chosen now to start pushing. Now Bath was pissed and upset and he’d have to deal with all these other people and he’d probably just keep on smiling and–

_Dammit you made it_ worse. 

Hip groaned again and cursed himself, after a second he realized he was rubbing at his forehead and stood up with a huff. He took a deep breath and went out the door. He wasn’t sure if he was going to apologize or explain himself, or just–

He just didn’t know. 

He sometimes couldn’t believe how shit he was with social stuff. 

Hip heard laughter from the living room and he followed the sounds down. The rest of his classmates were huddled on the couch, giggling and chatting while something played on the TV. Hip didn’t see Bath though so he passed them and went into the kitchen, there was a screen set up that separated the kitchen and dining room from the living room, and he found Bath leaning against a counter, taking advantage of the shoddy privacy. 

He didn’t look up even though he definitely heard Hip coming. He was gnawing on a slice of pizza, staring absently at the fridge with a blank expression that made Hip’s guilt expand. 

Hip let him stew for a little longer, leaning against the counter next to him and fidgeting with his shirt. After a while he sucked in a breath. 

“I shouldn’t have brought it up here,” he admitted quietly. Bath swallowed, after a pause he put the pizza down and turned to Hip. He watched him for a moment and then sighed, reaching out and pressing his thumb to Hip’s forehead, dropping his hand after a moment. 

“I know you didn’t mean to,” he said, and relief flooded through Hip. “You’re such an asshole sometimes,” he added lightheartedly. 

Hip smiled sheepishly, “I don’t really mean to be,” he said, it made Bath roll his eyes. “I won’t bring it up again while we’re here,” he promised, smile disappearing. 

Bath rubbed his eyes but nodded. “Thanks,” he said. 

“Hey!” Isha called from the living room, startling both Bath and Hip out of their moment. “Kent! Hip! We’re gonna play truth or dare, you in?” 

“After you?” Bath asked, making a big gesture with his arms. Now it was Hip’s turn to roll his eyes, and Bath grinned. 

They both came back into the living room and plopped down on the floor by Ana. Isha and Connie were curled up on the floor on the other side of Ana and Reggie and Leticia were tangled on the couch, so they all formed a misshapen circle. 

The TV had apparently been forgotten, instead the focus was on a bottle and a carton of lemonade being passed around. Hip blinked at it, and Isha grinned deviously. 

“Ana had a fake ID,” she said as Leticia took a big swallow and coughed.

“Tastes like fucking acetone,” she cursed. 

“Vodka!” Ana cheered. She was already rosy cheeked and grinning. 

“What if the teachers come back?” Hip asked as Leticia passed the bottle off to Reggie and took a big swig of the lemonade. 

“They won’t, that was the deal,” Leticia said, Hip frowned. 

“The teachers said if we didn’t kick up a fuss about the destination change they’d leave us alone,” Ana said, Reggie choked and hurriedly grabbed the lemonade from Leticia, who was still scowling at the taste. 

Hip and Bath shared a look and Bath rolled his eyes and poked Hip’s forehead. 

“There is not a devious plot,” he said, and Hip hummed an unconvinced not-answer. Reggie tried to pass the vodka to him but he just passed it to Bath. No one said anything, and Connie also refrained. Isha and Bath both took big gulps and passed it on. When the bottle was about halfway done they finally actually started playing. At first it was easy questions and dares, everyone waiting for the alcohol to hit them before they got outrageous, but then they started getting chaotic.

“Reggie,” Leticia said, her scowl was gone and replaced by a sleepy, giggly expression just about everyone else shared. Reggie raised a brow at her, “truth or dare?” 

“Dare,” he said with an easy grin. Hip was still pissed at him for poking at Bath but he also didn’t want to start anything – he’d promised – so he was keeping his mouth shut and trying not to glare too much.

“I dare you to…” Leticia paused to think for a second, then she brightened, “I dare you to eat a lime,” she said, “whole,” and everyone burst out laughing. 

“Easy,” Reggie said, untangling himself from her and the couch and disappearing into the kitchen. When he came back he had a lime and without hesitating he bit into the whole thing. Everyone started laughing again as he screwed up his face against the sourness, but he ate the whole thing. 

“Uuuuh, Connie–” Reggie said, eyes roaming over the group before they landed on Connie. “Truth or dare?” 

Connie grinned, “truth,” she said. 

There was a chorus of _weeakkkk_ ’s and some teasing and Connie rolled her eyes. 

Reggie thought for a moment and then leaned back to Leticia, “babe I can’t think of anything,” he said, she laughed and took a second to think of something and he smiled at her. 

“Fuck marry kill–” she said, and Isha groaned while Connie laughed, “cookie monster, Obama, and Megan Fox,” Leticia said, which made everyone laugh. 

“Ok, ok,” Connie said, mock seriously, “I would marry Megan Fox–”

“Obviously,” everyone except Hip said at the same time. 

“Probably have to kill cookie monster…” she said, Isha snorted. 

“I’ve seen him eat cookies, I don’t wanna know how he eats pussy,” Isha said, Leticia and Ana screamed. 

“SHUT UP!!!” Ana screeched. 

“Oh god I hate that,” Leticia groaned.

“That leaves me fucking Obama, sorry Michelle,” Connie said. Everyone laughed again. 

Connie turned to Bath, who was grinning sloppily, he’d sprawled out on his back next to Hip and was watching everything go down quietly. So far he’d only been dared a few times, getting dared to drink the lemonade upside down had soaked his hair so it was sticking up at odd angles. 

“Truth or dare Kent,” she said. 

“Dare,” he said. 

“I dare you, to get your arms wet and cover them in flour.” Bath threw his head back and laughed. He pushed himself up after a moment though and went into the kitchen, stumbling a bit. Hip decided to stay in the living room, now watching the TV. He hadn’t really been playing with them and Bath had mostly been taking his dares. He kind of wanted to go upstairs and sleep but he was afraid they’d come up and mess with him if he did. 

There was an uproar of laughter from the kitchen as the sink cut off and then Bath came strutting back into the living room, covered in flour. Hip coughed to cover a laugh as Bath sat down next to him in a puff of powder. 

“You’ve got something on your face,” Hip said, trying for a joke. Bath wrinkled his nose and grinned. 

“You too,” he said, Hip blinked. “Riiiight, here,” Bath said, rubbing his four covered hands all over Hip’s face. He gasped and then tried to wipe it all off. Bath was laughing his ass off and started rubbing flour into Hip’s hair as he tried and failed to fight him off. After a few moments Hip managed to scramble away and he hid behind Isha, who started laughing. 

“Ok, come on Kent it’s your turn,” Ana said, as everyone else plopped down in their circle again. Hip was pouting – covered in four – while Bath laughed. 

“Reggie,” Bath said after a moment, “truth or dare?” He grinned. 

Reggie grinned back, “dare,” he said. 

“I dare you to jump in the creek outside,” Bath said. Everyone gasped and shivered for Reggie who just laughed. 

“No biggie, how cold can it be?” Reggie said, standing and going to the door. Everyone got up again to follow him outside but he stopped at the door. This time Hip followed them, mostly to keep Isha between him and Bath.

“What? Freezing up?” Bath teased, Reggie scowled and struggled with the door. 

“It’s locked,” he said, Hip and Connie frowned as everyone else laughed. 

“Unlock it then,” Ana said pushing past Reggie to get the door. Then she stopped, “huh, that’s weird,” she said. Hip looked over everyone’s shoulders and they realized there didn’t seem to be a lock on the inside. 

“Probably locked to keep us inside at night,” Isha said, “lets try the windows.” So everyone set off, searching for open windows. The only one they found was the one tiny window in the bathroom. Reggie just barely fit and once you squeezed out you had a full storey drop to the ground but somehow they all got out. It was still bright outside, looking more like six than eleven, and it was bitterly cold. 

Everyone huddled around the creek and waited as Reggie stripped out of his shirt and pants and stood on the creekside, almost touching the water. It was pretty deep, probably about waist high for Reggie in the middle.

“Come on man, we don’t have all night,” Ana said, Reggie waved her off, took a deep breath and jumped into the creek. As soon as he did he yelped and leapt right back out. Everyone burst out laughing as he quickly pulled his clothes back on and shivered. 

“Wait–guys–” Ana said suddenly, “look!” she pointed to a column of smoke coming from over a group of trees a little ways away. Ana grinned deviously, “we should get our phones back.” 

“I don’t think–” Bath’s hand cut off Hip’s concern, muffling his words. 

“Shhhh, I think it’s a _great_ idea,” Bath said, words slurred as he hung off of Hip’s shoulders. Hip just rolled his eyes but the other’s cheered and they all took off through the trees towards the cabin. It turned out to be a longer walk than they’d thought, but by the time it came into view everyone was pumped up, giggling giddily and shushing one another. 

“Wait–wait,” Leticia said, stage whispering around her giggles. “Connie you and Hip have to go in, you guys’re the only sober ones,” she said. 

Everyone else seemed to agree, and Connie turned to Hip, grinning, “you up for it?” she asked. 

Hip rolled his eyes, “Sure, might as well get caught for something,” he said dryly. None of them caught his sarcasm though and started pushing him and Connie toward the cabin. Hip tried to argue but it was too late, they were too close to the windows and if he said anything the teachers might hear them. So Hip just gritted his teeth and followed Connie around to the back of the cabin. 

This one was significantly smaller than the students cabin, but also appeared to have two stories. The lights were all off on the main floor, but Hip saw lamplight leaking from the second. Connie pointed to a window that had been left open and Hip nodded. They slowly pried it open more and Hip popped the screen out so they could climb in. The first floor was dark and–thankfully–empty. 

Connie made eye contact with him and grinned fiercely, Hip smiled back less confidently, and started looking around for a basket or something they would keep the phones in. They dug around in silence, until finally, Hip opened a drawer in the kitchen and found the dark screened phones. He waved his hand around to get Connie’s attention and pointed to the drawer. She beamed and gave him a thumbs up. They stuffed the phones in their pockets and started back towards the window they’d come in through when suddenly–

_Baaaaah._

Connie and Hip both froze. Hip’s eyes slid over to Connie’s and they blinked. 

_You heard that right?_ Connie mouthed. Hip nodded. 

Then Connie turned around and started towards where the sound had come from–a staircase leading to a basement. Hip waved his hands around and grabbed her arm, trying to get her to get out of the cabin but she shook him off and poked her head down the stairs. Hip groaned silently and then followed her over, peeking down into the basement. They couldn’t really see anything, just a wooden floor with firelight casting weird, dancing shadows. 

_Baaaaaah._

“I still don’t get the sheep,” Mr. Frederickson’s voice drifted up to where they were frozen in place. “I mean, we’re going to have plenty and tracking the thing down just made us late,” he added cryptically. Connie and Hip shared a look and Connie raised a finger to her lips. 

“Of course you don’t,” Ms. Verisimold snapped, “it’s not the blood that matters, it’s the–” A loud thump from outside the cabin cut off whatever Ms. Verisimold was saying. Connie and Hip’s eyes widened and they held their breath. “What was that?”

“Probably some wildlife or something,” Mr. Frederickson said calmly. “You don’t think it’s the kids do you? They’re locked up and probably too drunk to walk straight.”

“Go check,” Ms. Verisimold snapped. 

“Really? It’s the middle of the night and freezing.”

“Does it look like I care? Go.” 

Mr. Frederickson scoffed and then started walking towards the stairs. Connie and Hip panicked, quickly backtracking towards the window they’d come in through. Connie shoved Hip out and Hip dragged her out after him. As soon as she hit the ground they bolted to where the rest of the group was hiding. 

The group cheered until Connie and Hip shushed them and gestures for them to start running. They all bolted back to the cabin, stumbling a little too much, and Connie and Reggie help to lift everyone back through the window, they all worked to pull Reggie through the tiny opening. It was a relief when they were all finally panting on the bathroom floor, giggling randomly. Connie and Hip were the only one’s sitting up, and they shared a look. 

Isha rolled over until she could wrap her arms around Connie’s waist and then buried her face in Connie’s thigh. Whatever she said was too muffled for Hip to understand but Connie rolled her eyes as her ears turned pink. Hip looked over and spotted Bath watching them, he had an odd expression on, but before Hip could think about it for too long, Ana piped up. 

“Did you get them?” she asked, almost too slurred to understand. Connie and Hip nodded, dropping all the phones out of their pockets and onto the ground. Everyone cheered and dug through the pile for theirs, all of them were dead though, so there was a long moment of drunk kids clicking their on buttons while the phones stayed dark. 

“I think I’m going to head to bed,” Connie said after a moment, she shared another look with Hip. 

_Talk in the morning?_ She mouthed, and Hip nodded, standing up to go to his own room. He glanced at Bath–the expression was completely gone now, and he was back to grinning. He held out a hand for help and Hip pulled him up, keeping him steady when he rocked on his feet. 

“You good?” Hip asked, and Bath laughed, slumping his weight against Hip, who wrapped an arm around his middle to walk him down the hall. Bath started messing with Hip’s hair after a few steps and Hip rolled his eyes, ignoring the fact that they were both covered in flour now. Once in the room Bath went limp like he’d fallen asleep and Hip struggled to get him to fall onto one of the beds. 

“Hey–Bath?” Hip asked, shaking him lightly, “come on, you need to get into bed.” Bath groaned and grabbed at Hip, making him fall down onto the bed too. He sighed and gave Bath a flat look. “It’s time for sleep,” he said, trying to wiggle away. Bath’s grip tightened for a moment, and then his eyes opened. Their eyes met for a flash of a second and then Bath jerked upright so fast it made Hip jump. “Bath?” he asked, but Bath had a panicked, faraway look in his eyes and he mumbled something about the floor and then laid down and rolled under the bed. 

Hip blinked, and then crouched down. “Bath, you should really sleep on the bed,” he said, a hand appeared and waved him off sloppily. 

“‘m comf’tble,” Bath said, and then he sneezed. 

Hip rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever, I’m not dragging you out,” he said, changing quickly into pajamas and climbing into his own bed–the one Bath wasn’t under.

“Night Bath,” he said.

“Mmm,” came Bath’s muffled response. 

Hip turned out the light.


	6. SATANIC CULTS!!!

Bath woke up the next morning with an aching head and a dry mouth. It was also completely dark. He groaned and tried to sit up, hitting his head on something above him. He felt around for a moment and realized he was laying under something. 

He moved his hands around until he found the edge of whatever he was under and dragged himself out. Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light he realized he was under the bed in his and Hip’s room. He groaned again, pulling himself all the way out and pushing himself up off the ground. 

Stretching out and cracking his sore back he looked down at himself and noticed he was covered in flour for some reason. He remembered the night before hazily, but it all blended together and swirled around his mind. He was pretty sure they’d gone to the teacher’s cabin, he had to concentrate to remember Hip and Connie going in for their phones, there’d been truth or dare–which probably explained the flour – but he still wasn’t clear on why he was under the bed, still dressed. 

Bath turned, looking in the other bed for Hip, but he was missing. His clothes from the day before were in a pile on the floor – like always – but his pajamas weren’t, which meant he’d just gotten up. Hip never stayed in pajamas, it was probably something he’d gotten from his mother, she was weird – high strung. 

Just as Bath was trying to decide if he should crawl back into his bed and sleep off his headache the door opened and Hip appeared. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning, still in plaid pajama pants and an oversized Joan Jett t-shirt Bath had stolen for him when they were in sixth grade to make up for calling his music taste shit. The shirt was so old the collar had been stretched out, and now it almost slipped off his shoulder. 

Bath was glad Hip didn’t like staying in pajamas very long, as he forced his eyes to stay on Hip’s hairline so his face didn’t burst into flames.

He’d already mostly come to terms with how pathetic he was. 

_It’s a collarbone. You’ve seen him in swim trunks before!_

“Oh good–” Hip said, looking at Bath with squinty eyes – blessedly oblivious to Bath’s inner beratings, “–you’re up, Connie was saying something but I don’t remember what it was,” he mumbled, rubbing at his face as he went over to the bed and face planted on it. Bath shook his head and chuckled softly. Hip mumbled something into his pillow that Bath recognized as a plea for coffee.

“C’mon, I’m not juggling two mugs up here again,” Bath said. 

“Eat dirt,” Hip said, muffled by the pillow. 

Bath smirked, “I was thinking about an egg sandwich actually– with cheese and bacon and a fried egg? Toast the bagel and make the yolk all runny and kinda creamy?” he said. 

Hip ignored him for a moment, then Bath heard his stomach growl and he rolled over to glare at Bath. 

“I hate everything about you,” he said, Bath laughed. 

“I’ll start coffee,” he said, opening the door only to yelp as Isha jumped into his face. 

“SATANIC CULTS!!!” She shouted, shoving past him into the room. Connie smiled apologetically behind her, but also walked into the room past Bath, who stared at the hallway for a moment and then threw up his hands and closed the door. 

“Sure, come on in, not problem– not a big deal at all,” he muttered. 

Connie’s smile warmed. “Thanks,” she said, and he glared. “I told Hip we were coming in if you didn’t come downstairs,” she explained. 

Bath just sighed, “yeah, he’s useless until about ten.”

“And hungry,” Hip said petulantly from where he was sitting with his legs and arms crossed on the bed, scowling at Bath.

Isha laughed, “Ana was bringing–”

“PANCAKES!” Ana’s voice yelled from the hallway, there was a pause, “wait, which room are you guys in?” she asked, Isha helpfully opened the door for her and Ana, Reggie, and Leticia poured into the room. 

Ana had a massive plate of pancakes that Hip immediately stole half of, eating them with nothing on them like toast. 

Bath dragged a hand through his hair, he was too tired for this, “why are you guys in our room?” he asked, looking to Connie mostly for an answer. 

Isha was the one to answer him, “SATANIC CULTS!!!” she shouted again. 

Leticia winced, “can you not scream?” she asked pointedly. 

“Seriously, it’s like fuckin’ nails to the head,” Reggie agreed. 

Isha rolled her eyes, “pussies,” she said. 

“You are what you eat,” Ana said around a mouthful of pancake.

“Pancake people,” Hip whispered, also with his mouth full, Ana giggled. 

“Pancake people,” she said, nodding sagely, and they bumped knuckles, then Ana glanced at his shirt, “Bro, what scene kid is on your shirt?” 

Hip looked offended, “this is Joan Jett,” he said, Ana just blinked.

“PEOPLE!” Isha shouted, getting everyone’s attention and ire, “we have more important things to go over,” she grinned, “like, SATANIC CULTS!!” 

Leticia shoved her and Ana threw pancake bits at her. 

“It _might_ be– we don’t want to jump to conclusions but–”

“They’re sacrificing lambs in the basement!” Isha cut Connie off, her eyes were wide and her comment made Hip’s brow furrow and he paused eating his pancake to look at Connie. Isha bulldozed on before he could ask anything, “they probably hijacked the trip to get us where there aren’t any witnesses,” she whispered conspiratorially, eyes scanning the room dramatically.

Hip locked eyes with Bath, mouthing _I knew it._ Everyone in the room started talking at once and Bath couldn’t help but laugh, none of it was really funny, he was just beyond pissed that they’d burst into his room to talk about conspiracies. Hip already did that enough. 

“No–no, no _no,_ ” Bath said, waving his hands around to cut everyone off. “No, you can’t come into my room, before I’ve even eaten and–” 

A pancake slapped him in the face and he froze. Slowly he looked up and spotted Reggie grinning like an idiot. 

“There’s pancakes,” he said. 

“They were also talking about blood,” Hip said, looking at Connie again, Bath gave up, sinking to the ground beside Hip’s bed and contemplating rolling under the bed again. Like he could read Bath’s mind, Hip stuck his leg over the edge without looking down and hooked it over Bath’s shoulder. Bath shoved him away but Hip’s leg just reappeared and he gave up and glared at the other bed. 

Isha pointed at Hip and raised her brows, “see! Satanic cults!!” she whisper yelled. 

“Wait, wait,” Reggie said, face screwed up as he held up his hands in a ‘hold on’ motion. “So you think our teachers hijacked the trip so they could sacrifice goats to satan in the woods?” he said, glancing around. 

“Sheep, actually,” Connie said, like it was perfectly reasonable, Bath’s headache was not going away. 

“Also, not _just_ sheep,” Isha said, and Ana’s face lit up.

“Are we going to get sacrificed to satan?” she whispered reverently. Isha and Hip grinned at her while everyone else looked at them with concern. 

“Guys, I really don’t think we should be getting excited about being murdered,” Leticia said.

“Yeah, especially since we’re out in the middle of nowhere, without any way to call for help,” Bath said flatly.

“Spoil sports,” Ana said, sticking her tongue out. Leticia, Reggie and Bath all rolled their eyes in unison. 

“Sorry for not wanting to be murdered,” Reggie said sarcastically.

“You guys are probably just freaking out over nothing, maybe they needed the blood for…” Leticia slowed off as she tried to think of something. 

“Safety?” Reggie offered, and Leticia pointed at him. 

“Yeah! Maybe it’s for an emergency?” she said. 

“I don’t know about you guys but I don’t want lambs blood if I crack my skull open,” Isha said, Leticia pursed her lips and Reggie glared. 

“They do have a point, maybe we’re overthinking this,” Connie admitted. 

Isha flapped her hand dismissively, “Nah, I think we’re being perfectly–” 

“Hey! We need you guys downstairs!” Mr. Frederickson’s voice called from the first floor. Everyone shared a look.

“We’re not going to say anything, right?” Ana said, looking around. Everyone nodded silently, and then filed out of the room, leaving Hip and Bath. 

Bath tried to stand up but Hip’s leg kept him in place. 

“Do you really think nothing’s going on?” he asked, and Bath shrugged. 

“I don’t know, but what are the chances our teachers are sacrificing us to satan? That shit only happens in movies,” he said, craning his neck to watch Hip nod, he was chewing on his lip. 

“Yeah…” he said, sounding unconvinced.

Bath grabbed his leg and stood up, dragging Hip up with him. 

Hip yelped, “Bath! Wait no–” he scrambled to grab onto the sheets as Bath started to walk away. 

“No can do, Mr. F called, we gotta go,” Bath said, grinning, Hip started laughing.

“Put me down! You’re gonna drop me on the stairs!” he giggled, and Bath laughed. 

“Wanna bet?” he asked.

“Absolutely _not,_ ” Hip said.

“Too late.”

“No–wait–BATH!”


	7. Sarongs and the Devil's Icy Asshole

“So today,” Mr. Frederickson started, rubbing his hands together and smiling at the group as they all came down the stairs, “we’ve got a hike planned,” he said. 

The whole group groaned. 

“I know, I know, _but–_ ” Mr. F paused and then frowned, “Where’s Balthazar and Hipolito?” he asked, the group glanced back up the stairs. 

“Bath!!!!” Hip screeched around breathless giggles as Kent appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Hip by his ankles over his shoulders. Hip was grabbing the railing and trying to stop him as Kent carefully made his way down the stairs, grinning like an idiot. 

“You’re going to make me drop you,” Kent threatened, and Hip laughed. 

“You’re going to drop me anyways!” 

“Balthazar, please put Hipolito down,” Mr. F said, sighing tiredly. 

Kent ignored him, and finally got to the bottom of the stairs. “Ha! I won,” he said smugly, Hip had given up fighting and had crossed his arm where he was hanging upside down. 

“You're awful,” he grumbled, fighting a smile. 

“Mmmhmm, so, what’s the deal Mr. F?” Kent said. Mr. F took his glasses off to rub at his temples.

“Hiking, we’re going hiking– please, set Hipolito down,” he said, Kent frowned. 

“What? Hip? Where?” He asked, spinning around dramatically and swinging Hip with him, who shrieked. 

“You ASS!” He said, and then slapped a hand over his mouth, looking at Mr. F with wide eyes.

“Whoa, did you guys hear that?” Kent asked, looking at the other student. Isha and Connie laughed while the others rolled their eyes. “Mr. F is this place haunted?”

“Mr. Kent,” Mr. F said seriously, glaring at Kent.

“Bath– wait–” Hip tried, but Kent just unceremoniously dropped him. He glared from where was on the floor, and then kicked the back of Kent’s knees so he fell, cursing and laughing. 

The other students were laughing and Mr. F looked like he wanted to tear his hair out. 

“ _Just–_ ” he sighed, “just go get dressed, meet me back down here in five minutes– this is not optional,” he said, and everyone beelined up the stairs. 

Isha and Connie slipped into their room giggling. They changed into something appropriate for hiking – Connie’s running gear and Isha stealing one of Connie’s tank tops to wear under a coat – and then headed back downstairs. 

The others slowly filtered out, everyone else had gathered upstairs in the hall. Leticia and Ana also in running gear while Reggie had a pair of shorts on and a t-shirt. 

“I’m getting cold just looking at you Reg,” Isha remarked, he laughed. 

“Weak,” he said, “I never get cold.” 

Leticia raised a brow, “oh really?” she said. 

“Nope,” Reggie said. 

“So…” Leticia was smirking and standing in front of Reggie. The two of them were pretty tall, but Reggie had about an inch on her so she had to turn her head up a little. “You’ll stop complaining when I crawl into bed with hands colder than ‘satan’s asshole’?” she asked smugly. 

Reggie kissed her, “I don’t get cold, doesn’t mean I can’t feel the cold and your hands _are_ colder than satan’s asshole in the morning,” he said. 

Ana chuckled, “you’d know what satan’s asshole feels like, wouldn’t you Reggie?” she teased. 

Reggie put on a mock-serious face, “of course, you think people are born with hair this good?” he said, and everyone laughed as he dragged a hand through his hair. 

“And besides, he’s right, I always think I'm going to get frostbite when Connie comes back after her runs,” Isha said, smiling at Connie, who rolled her eyes. 

“Everything is cold to you, if you could you’d live in the Bahamas,” she said, Isha nodded.

“Obviously, then I’d live in bikinis,” Isha said, wrapping her arms around Connie’s waist, “and sarongs, and you could feed me pineapple and tequila sunrises,” she added. 

“The Bahamas don’t sound bad,” Connie admitted, Isha grinned. 

“No, they don’t,” Leticia said with a look at Reggie.

“I’d live in speedos, but I don’t know what a sarong is,” he said, they all laughed. 

The door to Kent and Hip’s room opened and the two of them spilled out, glancing at the group that had congregated. Kent raised a brow in question and Hip just looked confused. They were both out of pajamas, Kent in a pair of adidas sweats and Hip wearing jeans. It was kind of weird seeing Hip out of uniform, Isha was pretty sure he was the only person in school who actually wore the whole thing – tie and all. 

“We’re all fantasizing about swimsuits and the Bahamas,” Isha said, Kent grinned. 

“Ugh, why’d Tennessee ditch me? We could have done single bitch things while you all do your gross couple-y bullshit,” Ana groaned. 

“You can fantasize about swimsuits and the Bahamas and be single,” Kent said, he and Hip passed through the group and started down the stairs, the other’s all followed him. “Sarongs are a universal fantasy,” he added. Connie and Leticia nodded, then cleared their throats as their ears went pink and Isha grinned. 

“I still don’t know what that is,” Reggie said. 

“Me either,” Hip said.

“Oh boys,” Isha cooed, “you’re missing out,” she said. The others laughed while Reggie and Hip just furrowed their brows. 

“Just barely see-through little shawls your wrap around your waist as a bathing suit cover, marvelously hot,” Ana educated them, holding out her hands dramatically. 

Both the boys went pink. “Oh,” they said. Everyone else laughed. 

“I said five minutes,” Mr. F said, effectively killing the mood. 

“That wasn’t five?” Ana said, Mr. F glared. 

“Time to head out, Ms. Versimold is meeting us at out destination, there’s lunch there,” he said, and the group all followed him out.


	8. Hikes and Regrets (For Once They Aren't the Same Thing)

“Baby,” Isha cooed about five miles into the hike. The past mile had been spikey hills covered in prickly bushes and angry looking grass. The trees had thinned out even more though, so that there were only a couple clustered far off in the distance. Connie twisted so she was walking backwards in front of Isha. “Carry me?” 

Connie laughed. “Mr. Frederickson just said we’re almost there,” she said, and Isha pouted. 

“Ana will you carry me?” she asked, Ana shook her head, breathing a little heavy at the brutal pace Mr. Frederickson had set for them. Her and Hip had been lagging behind a bit, but neither had really been complaining. 

“No way in hell bro,” Ana said. 

“I’ll carry you,” Leticia said, and Isha’s face lit up. 

“Yes! I love you,” she said, and Leticia laughed, crouching down by a rugged stump so that Isha could climb on her back. Connie knew she was probably still feeling guilty about snapping at Isha at the airport, plus, she also mostly likely wanted the excuse to flex. Reggie’s sudden stumbling and blatant drooling combined with Leticia’s smug grin proved that. 

They’d all been walking for a little over an hour, with surprisingly mild groaning from the students as Mr. F dragged then across the Alaskan wilderness. Hip’s eyes were darting all over the place and Kent kept smoothing the wrinkle on his forehead, muttering something about bears. Ana had been trying hard to convince everyone so far that moose were the real terror of Alaska, but no one really believed her. 

Mr. F hadn’t really told the group where they were going, but they’d pestered him into admitting something about a lake. He had a GPS that he kept checking so Connie assumed his guess that they were coming up on it was correct. 

“Whoa,” Isha said from where she was on Leticia’s back.

Everyone looked up and that was when the lake came into view. 

It was gorgeous – perfectly flat and completely mirroring everything. The sky was blue above them with just a few soft looking clouds hanging above them lazily, and the air was crisp. The mountains looked a bit closer now, they looked like folds in a giant, green and black blanket, with just a bit of snow powdered on top. The land around the lake was flat, back to the yellow-greenish moss with little sandy streams running through it. 

“That looks like something out of National Geographic,” Ana said. 

“Yeah,” Hip said, eyes wide and expression awestruck. 

“It’s a lake,” Reggie said, he didn’t look as impressed and everyone shot him a glare except Leticia, who just shrugged. 

“I mean, it is,” she said when the glares turned to her. 

“I want down now,” Isha said, and Leticia rolled her eyes but set Isha down. 

“How do you both look like that but you don’t know that shit is fucking breathtaking?” Ana asked incredulously.

They spotted Ms. Versimold closer to the lake, where, for some reason, there was a picnic table. There were PB&J’s and turkey sandwiches that everyone immediately dug into. Apparently there was a road that connected to the lake, and that’s how Ms. Versimold had gotten here. Her and Mr. F went off to grab something else from the car and left the students to eat. 

“I hate hiking,” Ana said, halfway through her third turkey sandwich. 

“Me too,” Hip said. 

“It’s not like it was that long,” Reggie said obnoxiously. 

Ana just rolled her eyes, “Sorry Reggie, but not all of us clock five minute miles,” she said dryly. 

“We weren’t running,” he said.

Hip gave him a flat look, “She meant not all of us are exercise freaks,” he said. Isha chuckled and Connie smiled. Ana grinned and bumped her shoulder against Hips – he was still staring down Reggie, who was glaring. Connie noticed Kent had tensed, but he was still smiling. 

“Reg, it doesn’t matter,” Leticia said, tearing up her sandwich into bite sized pieces to eat. 

“I thought you played lacrosse, isn’t that _all_ running?” Reggie said, ignoring Leticia, who pursed her lips. Ana’s cheeks reddened a bit, she’d been benched most of the season because of an ankle injury, getting back in shape had been rough but Connie had convinced her not to quit. 

“Yeah, and?” Ana said, most of her usual snark missing. 

“I don’t know, just think you’d complain less,” Reggie said, Ana bristled and Leticia turned to glare at Reggie. Isha and Connie were doing the same, while Hip’s face went red and even Kent looked annoyed. 

“Yeah well I’d think you’d be less likely to be on this trip after failing chemistry but here we are,” Hip said, face scrunched up. 

Reggie flushed and clenched his jaw, “I didn’t fail, and it’s not even the same thing,” he snapped. 

“Sure it is, feels like shit to have something you can’t really control rubbing in your face– doesn’t it,” Hip ground out. Ana was staring at him wide eyed – most of the table was actually. Hip usually kept to himself, speaking to Kent or in short, to the point sentences. He’d certainly never defended one of them before. 

“Fuck off Lark,” Reggie said, Hip crossed his arms. 

“No,” he said, Kent stood up at the same time as Reggie moved to. 

“C’mon, we’re going for a walk,” Kent said, grabbing Hip’s arm and dragging him away from the table, eyes on Reggie the whole time. Hip tried to push   
Kent off of him but Kent didn’t budge and they disappeared into a tiny group of trees to the left of the rest of the group. 

“I’m going for a walk too, you can be a real dick Reg,” Ana said, voice tight as she stood up and went off after the boys. 

Connie got up too, “Ana–”

“I’m fine,” she snapped over her shoulder. 

“I just made a joke,” Reggie said petulantly, even Leticia looked pissed, and she whirled on him. 

“Yeah, an insensitive one,” she snapped, “Hip had a point, if you’re going to poke at people’s insecurities you should expect yours to be prodded at too,” she said, Reggie glared, but most of the aggression he’d showed towards Hip earlier had drained from him.

“How was I supposed to know she was insecure about it! I can’t read her mind!” he said, Connie rolled her eyes and looked into the woods where Ana had gone, it wasn’t quite the same place as where Hip and Kent had disappeared. 

Isha put a hand on Connie’s shoulder suddenly, and for a moment Connie thought she was going to stop her, but when she looked back Isha was steely, “go, I’ll deal with Bitch Stain McGee,” she said, Connie nodded and took off after Ana. 

She reached the edge of the woods and slowed a little, searching the trees and keeping an ear out. “Ana?” she called, when no one replied she walked a little farther in, luckily the trees weren’t dense enough that she would lose her way. She could still see the rest of the group arguing at the picnic table, so she went in deeper. 

“Ana?” she called again, and this time there was a sniffle. Connie followed the noise until she found Ana curled up by a tree, rubbing at her eyes furiously. Connie crouched down next to her, “hey,” she said softly, Ana choked out a forced sounding laugh. 

“I don’t know why I’m doing this,” she said, still rubbing her face. “It’s not even that big of a deal, I mean, he’s right, I complain a lot,” she said.   
Connie pursed her lips and silently cursed Reggie.

“No, you don’t, he was being an ass,” Connie said. Ana laughed again, still choked by tears. She dropped her hands after a moment, sagging against the tree with her knees curled up to her chest. Her eyes were red and puffy. 

“I don’t know why I’m doing this,” she repeated, and Connie put a hand on her shoulder. 

“It’s alright, it’s ok if you don’t feel great after someone’s a dick to you,” Connie said, and Ana nodded, setting her face seriously for a full second before she collapsed again. She turned into Connie, who caught her easily and hugged her. 

“He’s so stupid,” she said into Connie’s shoulder around sniffles. 

“Fuck men,” Connie said, and it made Ana laugh, this time it sounded a little more genuine. 

“Fuck men,” Ana agreed. 

After a long moment Ana’s breathing evened out and Connie patted her shoulder gently, “C’mon, I wanna finish my sandwiches,” she said. Ana nodded and they stood up together. “Besides, when Reggie can hide fouls as well as you can then he can criticize you,” Connie said, Ana laughed again.

“Yeah, totally,” she said, then she smiled, “thanks cap,” she said.

Connie grinned back, “anytime.” 

“Ana? Connie?” Hip’s voice startled them, and they whipped their heads around to find him walking up with Kent. For some reason Kent was grinning, until he spotted Ana and it faded a little. 

“You ok?” Hip asked, Ana nodded. 

“Thanks for that by the way, pretty sick of you pancake bro,” Ana said with her usual lopsided grin. It made Kent’s come back with full force while Hip just gave a small smile. Hip and Ana bumped knuckles and then his expression went wild.

“Guess what we found,” he said, Connie and Ana shared a look. 

“A dead body?” Ana guessed, Hip shook his head and then turned to Kent, gesturing for him to do something. 

Kent pulled out a massive knife. 

“What the fuck,” Connie whispered at the same time as Ana’s “holy shit.”

They lunged forward at the same time. 

“Where did you find it??” Connie asked as Kent held it out for them to examine. On first inspection it looked plain, with a wooden handle and a thick, curved blade – almost like if a cleaver and a fillet knife fucked – but as Connie looked closer she realized there was something weird about it. For one, the wood was old – _really_ old, and it was covered in little notches and carved symbols that overlapped each other until you couldn’t really see what each individual one was. The blade also had the shiny lines of multiple sharpenings and it looked mercilessly sharp. 

“We ended up finding the teacher’s car, this was just laying around outside,” Kent said.

“They probably put it in their bag and it fell out,” Hip added. 

Ana’s eyes went wide and she locked eyes with Hip, “did they lead us out here to murder us?” she asked. 

Hip scrunched up his nose, “with one knife? I doubt it,” he said. 

Suddenly a twig snapped somewhere to their left and all four of them tried to snatch the blade away. Hip ended up winning, and he tucked it behind his back. 

“What are you all doing out here?” Ms. Versimold asked, her brow furrowed as she came into view. The students cleared their expressions, except Hip – who’d started sweating. 

“Pee break?” Ana said, Ms. Versimold gave her a shrewd look. 

“Hipolito, what’s behind your back?” Ms. Versimold asked, Hip yelped. 

“Uh, nothing?” he said unconvincingly. _Of course he’s a bad lair._

Ms. Versimold glared and held out her hand, “whatever it is I’m sure you’re not allowed to have it, hand it over,” she said, he took a step back – tripped on a loose stick – and fell backwards. 

He coughed, “ow,” he said quietly. 

“Hip?” Kent asked, brow furrowed, Hip smiled shakily. 

“I’m good,” he said, starting to stand up. The blade had disappeared, but Connie spotted the hilt of it poking out of the soft ground. Relief washed over her. At least until she also spotted the significant pool of blood that is. 

“Just ah–” Hip started, holding out his arm to show a long cut own the back of his forearm, “do you have a bandaid?” 

“ _Oh my god–_ ” Ms. Versimold said. Everyone’s eyes were wide. 

“Hey where’d you guys–” suddenly the rest of the group – including Mr. Frederickson – came into the woods with them. They gaped as soon as they spotted Hip, and Reggie’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

Then the panic started.


	9. It's in the Red Sauce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... there's three chapters left of this and I'm mostly finished with them. I'll be posting them sooooooooonnnn but I was excited and wanted to get this out now. I hope you've liked it so far!! Thank you for reading all of it if you got here?? You're wonderful???

Once Reggie passed out Hip blinked and he was suddenly lying on the ground. He felt too hot all over and his head felt fuzzy. His arm didn’t hurt though – which he thought was weird. Then he realized everyone was yelling, he looked up to where Bath was just staring, wide eyed at him. 

“It doesn’t hurt?” he said, and Bath dropped to the ground, stripping off his sweater and wrapping it around Hip’s arm tightly. Hip winced and then the pain hit. 

The cut _ached._ It made his fingers twitch and he groaned. 

“Sorry–” Bath hissed, his voice sounded weird, “sorry–sorry sorry, shit– Hip I’m sorry– _fuck–_ ”

“Get him to the car!” someone was screaming, and everyone started be-lining for the car. Hands grabbed Hip and lifted him up off the ground and carried him to the car he and Bath had stumbled upon earlier. The hands propped him up in the backseat and started unwrapping Bath’s hoodie from his arm. 

Ms. Versimold had a first aid kit and she was holding Hip’s wrist tightly, turning it this way and that. It made the cut open and close and Hip leaned over and threw up.

“Everyone relax,” Ms. Versimold snapped, it didn’t make Hip want to relax. Plus now his mouth tasted like acid. “It’s not as bad as it looks,” she said after a moment, and Hip felt relief flush through him. “You’ve lost some blood but it’s clean and shallower than it looks,” she said, eyes still on the cut. “You probably won’t need stitches, but we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure,” she said. 

“What?” someone asked from behind her. 

“Since when do cuts have a waiting period?” Bath’s voice snapped. Ms. Versimold glared over her shoulder as she pulled gauze and rubbing alcohol out of the kit. 

“That’s when we can get a plane to a doctor,” she hissed back, pouring the alcohol on Hips arm without warning. He yelped and tried to pull his arm away but her grip was like a vice. Luckily she stopped quickly and started dabbing the cut with gauze. Hip settled for squirming in the back seat of the car while watching her dress the cut. It looked like the blade had just pressed up against Hip when he fell, luckily not slicing to the bone or worse.  
It still ached though, throbbing so much his fingers kept twitching as Ms. Versimold wrapped ace bandages around fresh gauze. It felt too tight, and his fingers started to go cold, but when he messed with it Ms. Versimold slapped his hand away. That was when Bath opened the other door and dragged Hip over to the other side of the car, then he climbed over Hip and buckled himself into the middle seat. 

“It’s probably for the best that Hipolito and Reginald ride back with you,” Mr. Frederickson said, cutting off whatever remark Ms. Versimold was going to say. “Balthazar you’ll have to walk with me,” he added. Bath didn’t move, or even make any indication he’d heard him. 

Mr. F rubbed his temples. “Fine, whatever,” he huffed, letting Reggie climb in and then closing the door. There was a bit of a commotion and then Leticia appeared in the front seat. After a few more seconds of arguing Ms. Versimold climbed into the drivers seat and they drove back to the cabin.

There was still the two mile hike but it was easy compared to the almost six mile hike they’d just been on. Once they got to the cabin Ms. Versimold let them in, locked them in, and left, mumbling something about the car. 

Bath immediately steered Hip upstairs and shoved him into bed, then he disappeared out the door, returning a couple of minutes later with a glass of water and an apple. 

“What’s up with Reggie?” Hip asked after he’d downed most of the water and the apple. Bath was sitting on his bed, across from Hip, just staring at him. 

“Passed out when he saw blood,” Bath said absently. 

Hip nodded, and then frowned. “Are you ok?” he asked, Bath didn’t say anything for a moment and then he stood up abruptly and started pacing. 

“Hip there’s something I need to tell you,” he said, still pacing – eyes on the floor – Hip frowned. 

“Ok…?” he said, he was feeling better after food and water. The cut was still aching but it was ignorable pain and the wooziness he’d felt earlier was thankfully gone. 

“Have you ever–” Bath stopped himself and cleared his throat, trying again, “I mean, did you ever– have you thought–? Or I mean–” he stumbled over his words. He suddenly stopped pacing and turned to Hip – who was still watching him with a concerned look. 

Bath sucked in a breath, “have you ever thought about dating?” he asked in a rush. 

Hip blinked, “uh, yeah, sure,” he said, confused. 

Bath blinked, “wait– really?”

“Yeah, I mean, who hasn’t though,” Hip said with a shrug, Bath just stared at him. “Why? Do you have a secret girlfriend or something?” he asked. Bath just kept staring at him. 

Finally he just groaned and sat down on the bed across from Hip, shoulders sagging slightly. 

“No,” he started slowly, “I just…” he slowed off, then looked up at Hip, who was watching him. He was still confused, Bath’s pacing wasn’t a good sign, he only did that when he was really nervous, but Hip didn’t know what he was so nervous about. “Nevermind, I have to– I’m just– I need some air, you should rest,” Bath said, standing again and going for the door. 

“It’s not like sleeping will help,” Hip said. 

“ _Rest,_ ” Bath snapped, and then he was gone and Hip was more confused than ever. 

Hip eventually managed to fall asleep – still wondering what Bath was so anxious about. When he woke up his mouth was dry and tasted like shit, plus his arm was still aching. He sat up and drank the glass of water on the table between the beds, it helped his mouth a little but he still smacked his lips against the taste. He’d fallen asleep in his clothes, which was weird, and when he looked outside it was still really bright out. 

He made his way downstairs and found all the other students sitting like they had been the day before, in a sort-of circle passing around a new bottle of vodka and orange juice tonight. Isha spotted him coming down the stairs first and she screeched. 

“You’re alive!” she cheered, which made the other students turn and cheer once they spotted him. Hip’s face warmed and he waved uncomfortably. 

“Come on!! Sit and play with us!” Ana said, swaying a little even though she was sitting. Hip obliged, settling down next to Bath who grinned at him. 

“How are you feeling?” Connie asked, it seemed like tonight she’d decided to drink a bit since her words were slurring almost as much as everyone else's. 

“Fine,” Hip said, “my arm just aches a bit,” he added. 

Ana punched him in the shoulder – probably a little harder than she’s meant to and Hip winced. “You’re a badass,” Ana said, eyes focused on something to the right of Hip. 

“We’re playing truth or dare again,” Isha explained, passing her bottle to Reggie, who gulped some down and then chugged orange juice. 

“There’s spaghetti in the kitchen,” Connie said. 

“That’s alright, I’m not really hungry,” Hip said, assuming he’d just eat fruit or something later. 

“Connie it was your turn,” Reggie said. 

"Right, ok, uuuuh," Connie said, looking around, she finally stopped and grinned at Ana, “truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to speak with an accent for the next round,” Connie said.

“Make it three!” Isha cheered, laughing and falling back onto Connie. 

“For the next _three_ rounds,” Connie amended. 

Ana laughed, “Anythin’ fer you partner,” she said in a horrible southern accent.

Everyone burst into laughter. Ana pretended to be confused, “Wot in tarnation? Was it somethin’ I said?” it didn’t help the laughing. 

“Ok, ok, Ana– go,” Isha said around giggles. 

Ana grinned devilishly, “group truth’r’dare,” she said. Everyone said dare, Hip stayed quiet, thinking he was going to get away with playing like he had the night before. Ana smirked, “I dare every one of yous darn couples to seven minutes in the lords heaven,” she said. 

There was nervous giggling. “Ladies first,” she added, winking at Connie and Isha, who giggled and then went into a closet under the stairs. The vodka was passed to Hip, who just passed it to Bath. He didn't take a drink though, and Hip wondered if he'd been drinking at all. Judging from his sleepy, relaxed attitude he'd probably just been drinking before Hip had woken up.

“Wait, who’s turn is it now?” Leticia asked. 

Ana shrugged, “yers?” she said. The accent made Leticia laugh. 

“Ok, uuuuh, Reggie, truth or dare,” she said.

“Dare.” 

The game went on until Isha and Connie’s seven minutes were up. They both came out looking ruffled and blushing. Leticia and Reggie went next and they went back to playing again until they came out. Then Ana looked at Bath and Hip expectantly. 

“Whatcha waitin’ for?” she said, Hip blinked. 

“Not dating,” Bath said. 

Everyone in the circle stared and Hip felt like his face was going to explode. 

“Wait,” Isha said finally, “are you being serious?” 

“Yeah?” Hip said, not really sure how to answer. 

“Oh then you definitely gotta go,” Ana said, dropping the accent. It had been three turns but she hadn’t stopped. 

“Huh?” Hip said, but then everyone was lunging for them. 

“Wait– wait–” Bath tried but the others ignored him and stuffed Bath and Hip in the closet, slamming the door closed. “Guys!” Bath yelled, trying to open the door. It didn’t budge and there was giggling on the other side. 

“Seven minutes! Have fun!” Ana called from the other side. 

They went back to playing truth or dare and Hip glanced around the closet, glad it was dark so his flaming face would be less obvious. 

“Well…” Hip said, hoping it didn’t sound as squeaky as it felt. 

“Uhm,” Bath said. The tiny space felt unbearably awkward for some reason. 

“Are you ok?” Hip asked, trying to break the tension. 

Bath jumped, “What? Yeah– I mean, why wouldn’t I be?” he said fast. 

Hip narrowed his eyes on him, “You’ve just been acting kinda weird, you were all anxious earlier,” Hip said. 

Bath coughed, “oh yeah, uh, it’s nothing– just forget I said anything ah… earlier,” he said. 

Hip frowned, “Do you actually have a secret girlfriend?” he asked, worried that Bath hadn’t told him. He didn’t know why but the idea of it upset him – not that he wouldn’t be happy if Bath did, but… maybe it was the fact that Bath kept it a secret?

“No," Bath said, quietly, "no I don’t Hip." 

Then something clicked in Hip, “Wait, did you mean us?” he whispered, then slapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. 

“No– I wouldn’t– why would I– no definitely not– why would I do that?” Bath said. 

“Oh,” Hip said, now really wishing he hadn’t said it out loud. “I didn’t mean to insinuate anything–”

“Wait no, that’s not–” Bath sighed, “ok, I lied,” he said, Hip felt like he was choking for some reason, “what if… uh… what if I did mean us?” he said. 

Hip’s heart was pounding. 

“Well…” he said, suddenly very aware of how small the closet was. 

Then there was a loud bang from outside, like someone had dropped the vodka bottle. Bath and Hip jumped at least two feet up. That was when Hip realized he couldn’t hear the others playing anymore. 

“Guys?” Hip called, Bath tried the door again but it still wasn’t opening. 

“I think someone’s leaning on the other side,” Bath said, and he shoved the door. It opened a little but then Bath swayed. “Oh, I don’t feel so good,” Bath said.

Hip frowned, “on three?” 

Bath swallowed thickly, eyelids drooping “yeah.”

“One, two,” Hip started, Bath nodded, shaking his head out, “three!” Hip said, and they both shoved the door, pushing it open. Then Bath fell bonelessly to the floor. 

Hip’s eyes were wide and he crouched down, “Bath?!” he asked, panicked. He turned Bath over but he was fast asleep, not even twitching. 

Hip looked up for help and then his stomach dropped. 

Everyone else in the room was passed out too. 

“Guys?” Hip asked quietly.

The front door clicked unlocked.

Hip froze. 

It started creaking open and Hip dropped to the ground, pretending to also be asleep and tried to slow his pounding heart. 

“Hello?” Mr. Frederickson’s voice called out. Hip kept his mouth shut and stayed still. “Boom, told you it would work,” he said, quieter now. 

“The Spaghetti was _my_ idea,” Ms. Versimold said as they walked over to where all the kids were sprawled out. 

“Whatever,” Mr. F said dismissively, they paused a couple steps away from Hip, over by the couch. “Do we have to take him? He’s going to be the hardest to carry,” Mr. F complained. 

“I don’t care, the others won’t work yet,” Ms. V said, “Hurry up and grab him, I want to be out of here some time tonight,” she added. 

Mr. F sighed and Hip peeked an eye open. He spotted the teachers struggling to lift Reggie off the couch. 

“Wait– wait–” Mr. F said, voice strained. Hip squeezed his eye shut again and the teachers dropped Reggie back onto the couch. “There’s got to be an easier way of doing this,” he said.

“Check the closet, there might be rope or something,” Ms. V said. Mr. F walked over and Hip held his breath. For a fraction of a second Mr. F paused, but then he started moving again, into the closet. He rifled around for a second.

“Nope, nothing,” he said. 

He started walking back over Hip, who was panicking trying to think of a way to stay hidden but also help Reggie somehow. Eventually he decided he would follow them and see where they took him and then–

And then Mr. F stepped on Hip’s hand. He gasped without meaning to, and Ms. Versimold grabbed his other hand before he could do anything. His eyes flew open and both teachers were hovering over him. 

“Hello Hip.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen: Ok I know, cliffhanger, I hate myself for it too.
> 
> _but_ , all I could think of when writing this was [this vine](https://youtu.be/KPoIl0gNaEY)


	10. Help! They Misplaced Their Boyfriends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alkjdflsk this took me so long to update and I'm sorrrrrryyyyy, quarantine is good for something at least XDD 
> 
> here's this chapter (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)

Bath woke up with another pounding headache. At least this time he wasn’t under a bed – though, he was on the floor for some reason. 

He peeled his face off the wooden floor and smacked his lips against the rancid taste in his mouth. He heard groaning from all around him, and by the time he managed to unstick his eyes he noticed he was in the living room with everyone else. They were all sprawled out in various uncomfortable looking positions. Connie was sitting up and rubbing her eyes, trying to shake a groaning Isha awake. Ana and Leticia were curled up half-on the couch half-off and snoring loudly.

Hip was nowhere to be seen, but Bath assumed he’d gone up to the room to sleep in a real bed. Then he remembered the closet and his heart rate spiked. 

He stood up fast – which wasn’t the greatest idea – and stumbled. 

“You good?” Connie asked, still on the floor. 

Bath nodded and started towards the stairs. He paused though, _did Hip even want to see him?_ That thought tasted worse than his mouth and Bath suddenly felt like throwing up. He decided he’d wait until Hip came downstairs.

He changed directions and went to the kitchen, guzzled water and then dug through the fridge until he found leftover pizza. He bypassed the spaghetti still on the stove, just thinking about it made him feel gross. Anything about the night before made him feel gross. 

Bath bumped his head into the fridge in frustration. Usually he’d talk to Hip about this sort of stuff but – yeah that wasn’t going to happen. He wished his phone had service so he could at least call Jamie, but then decided it was probably better he couldn’t. It wasn’t like Bath could tell Jamie he felt gross for not only liking _Hip_ , but also a _guy._

Bath knew that was from his parents, they’d made sure he knew liking guys wasn’t an option, but liking Hip was so _easy_. 

It wasn’t, because Hip was his best friend, but it was at the same time. It was so easy to look at Hip and _feel_ things, but then when he thought about it too hard it made his skin crawl. 

“Hey, your head feel like it got run over too?” Ana asked suddenly, and Bath jumped, guilty and worried she could somehow read his thoughts. 

“No–” he said fast, she frowned, “I mean, yeah– yeah, fuck it sucks,” he amended, her words catching up to him. She eyed him for a moment, and then handed over a bottle of Advil. Bath took it and swallowed a few pills. 

“Reggie and Hip made it upstairs huh?” she said, and Bath frowned. 

“Hip probably got tired of dealing with drunk people,” Bath said, “but I don’t know where Reggie is.”

“Huh,” Ana said, then she shrugged, “whatever, I was gonna warm up some of that spaghetti– you want some?” 

“Thanks, I’m good,” Bath said, he turned to leave the kitchen and almost ran into Leticia.

“Hey, you guys seen Reggie?” she asked. Her expression was pinched with worry. 

Ana and Bath shook their heads, the expression deepenend.

“I thought he went up to bed,” Ana said. 

“Me too,” Leticia said, chewing on her thumbnail, “but he’s not in the room.”

“Maybe he stumbled into somebody else’s?” Bath offered, Leticia shrugged helplessly. 

“I’ll come look with you,” Ana said, and Leticia nodded. The two of them left but for some reason Bath had a bad feeling. He followed them upstairs but stopped at his door. 

He hesitated for a second, and then knocked. 

No one answered. 

“Hip?” He called. 

Still no answer. 

He steeled himself and opened the door, “hey–” he started, and then realized the room was empty. His gut twisted.

He turned back into the hallway, Leticia and Ana were coming back his way, Leticia looked more worried and even Ana looked nervous. 

“Is he in there?” Leticia asked, and Bath shook his head. 

“Hip isn’t either,” Bath said. 

“Ok, lets chill, they’re probably just passed out somewhere,” Ana said unconvincingly, Bath was already rushing down the stairs. 

“Hip wasn’t drinking last night,” he said, almost running into Connie in his rush to search the cabin. 

“Whoa whoa, what’s going on?” she asked and Bath ignored her, opening the closet again and looking under the couch. 

“Reggie and Hip are missing,” Ana said. 

Isha gasped, “should we go to the teachers?” she asked. Bath didn’t know what to do but he felt like he was being unraveled. Hip had been sober which meant he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to go outside, _right?_

He went for the front door, but it was still locked. 

“I’m going to the teachers,” Leticia said, racing upstairs for the bathroom window. Bath was on her heels and Connie, Isha and Ana were quick to follow. Leticia and Bath were both running to where the teachers cabin was and somehow Bath reached it first, he started pounding on the door. 

After what felt like an eternity the door opened and Mr. Frederickson gave them a sour look. 

“Hip and Reggie are missing,” Ana said. 

“No, they’re not,” Mr. F said, and Bath wanted to punch his nose. 

“They’re not at the cabin!” Leticia said, her worry turning to anger.

Mr. F rubbed his temples, “of course they aren’t– do none of you remember last night?” he asked. Bath’s stomach rolled and all their eyes dropped to the ground. “We managed to get an early flight, so Janet took them to get checked out,” he said. 

There was silence, and then– “Why is Reggie getting checked?” Connie asked.

“We were worried he might have had a concussion from when he passed out,” Mr. F said. 

“Why didn’t you take me?” Leticia asked, Bath was thinking the same thing. 

Mr. F scowled, “because having to deal with one inebriated teen was more than enough stress,” he spat. 

Bath and Leticia flinched. All the anger left Bath in a whoosh and he felt hollowed out with guilt. Hip was going to have to deal with the hospital all by himself and Bath had been too drunk and worried about himself to even remember him leaving. 

He cursed himself, “Take me now then,” he snapped. 

“Yeah, we’re sober now,” Leticia said. 

Mr. F glared, “I can’t, Janet has the only car,” he said. 

“What about the bus?” Isha asked.

“We don’t have it, rental,” Mr. F said, like it was obvious. Bath felt like he was going to throw up. 

“ _Shit_ ,” Leticia cursed miserably.

“When are they getting back?” Bath asked. He wanted to punch something, and he kind of wanted that something to be his own face. 

“Oh they’re not, they’re going home early,” Mr. F said. 

“What?” Leticia asked.

“Hip doesn’t have a ride back,” Bath said, Mr. F shook his head. 

“We gave them their phones back, they’re both fine,” Mr. F said, and everyone in the group narrowed their eyes. 

“Listen, they’re going to be fine, just go back to the cabin and relax,” Mr. F said. After a moment the group listened and started back towards the cabin. 

“They’re lying about the phone thing,” Ana said once they were out of earshot. 

Connie worked her jaw for a moment, “they’re probably just _planning_ on giving their phones back,” she tried. 

No one really believed it, but they also didn’t know what the other answer could be. _Reggie and Hip were kidnapped by our teachers?_ That sounded ridiculous. 

“Don’t beat yourselves up guys, there’s no way you could’ve known,” Isha said.

Leticia and Bath didn’t say anything, and when they got back to the cabin Bath folded himself into the couch and pulled at his hair. Isha came out offering a bowl of reheated spaghetti that Bath refused. Only Ana seemed to be hungry, but she encouraged Leticia to eat some with her. 

“I don’t know why I can’t remember– I didn’t think I drank that much,” Leticia said, she looked on the verge of tears. 

“Hey, it’s not your fault, even I can’t remember anything,” Connie said. It made Isha frown.

“When were you drinking?” she asked. 

Connie shrugged. “Can’t remember,” she said. 

“Whoa there–” Ana said suddenly, and everyone looked up to see Leticia swaying unsteadily. 

“I’m gonna si’down,” Leticia said, and Isha jumped up to help Ana set her on the couch. 

“Are you ok?” Connie asked, and then Ana started looking unsteady too. 

“Oh shit,” she said, and then dropped down on the couch next to Leticia. 

“What the hell is going on?” Isha said, but then both Leticia and Ana went limp. 

Connie checked pulses, but they were both very obviously snoring. 

“Did someone drug our spaghetti?” Isha asked, mostly jokingly. 

But then all three of them shared a wide-eyed look.

“ _The teachers,_ ” they all said together. 

“Holy shit!” Isha yelled. 

A wave of relief crashed through Bath for a full second and then it was quickly replaced by burning dread. 

“We have to go get them–” Bath started to say, already turning to go to the teachers cabin, but Connie stopped him. 

“Wait, no, stop we should think about this,” she said, Bath snarled. 

“There’s nothing to think about, they’ve had him for who knows how long!” he snapped and she pursed her lips. 

“I know, I want them out too but we need to be smart about this–” she tried, Bath just snatched his hand away. 

“I’m going there, and you’re not stopping me,” he snarled. 

She scrunched her face up, “fine, whatever, do that and get killed– see if I care!” she said, throwing her hands up. Then Isha stepped in between them. 

“I’ll go with, I can try to find some service and call for help, Con can you stay behind and watch the girls?” she asked.

Connie nodded. “We should move them upstairs though, I can barricade the room,” she said. 

“Go in the bathroom, there’s an exit,” Bath said, they all nodded grimly. 

“Ok, so we’ll drag them into the bathroom, then you guys get out and _recon_ , don’t do anything stupid,” Connie summarized pointedly. Bath didn’t agree to anything but Isha nodded. Then the three of them dragged the drugged girls into the bathroom and shoved one of the dressers from the rooms to use as a barricade. 

“Good luck,” Connie said, Isha nodded. 

“You too,” she said, they kissed and Bath chucked himself out the window. He took off towards the teachers cabin and ignored Isha’s stage yelling. When he was about half way there he slowed and decided to go around the back window Hip and Connie had gotten in through the night before. Before he had the chance to find the cabin though, twigs crunched from behind him and he heard a loud _baaaah._

He whipped around and came face to face with Mr. Frederickson, who was holding a struggling lamb under his arm. 

“Balthazar,” Mr. F said slowly, “what are you doing?” 

“What’s with the lamb?” Bath asked instead of answering, he started backing away slowly. 

Mr. F followed him, “local farm lost him, I was helping out,” he lied easily. Bath kept his mouth shut. 

“Well, good luck with that,” he said as his back hit a tree. Mr. F kept walking towards him and Bath reached around his back until his hand found a big stick. 

“You should be back at the cabin Balthazar,” Mr. F said. 

“Just needed to clear my head,” Bath said, grip tightening on the stick as Mr. F came to stand a foot away. “Shouldn’t you be returning that lamb?” he asked. 

“Would you mind holding it for me?” Mr. F asked. 

“No thanks, allergies,” Bath said. Mr. F frowned. 

“Too bad,” he said, and he dropped the lamb and lunged for Bath. Bath didn’t think, he just swung his hand and the stick slammed into the side of Mr. F’s head. He crumpled to the ground and Bath took off, bolting towards the teacher’s cabin. He only poked his head in the window for a second to check if the coast was clear and then he shoved it open and dived in. He was still holding the stick and his hands felt like they were vibrating from the hard hit. 

The first floor of the cabin was dark and empty, and Bath took a moment to decide if he should go upstairs or down. 

_Fuck it_. He thought, and he went for the basement stairs, taking them slowly and keeping the stick held up like a bat. He looked around for any sign of Ms. V. She wasn’t down there luckily, but Hip and Reggie were. 

“Bath!” Hip gasped when he spotted him coming down the stairs. Bath immediately dropped the stick and rushed over to where he and Reggie were tied to chairs in the middle of the room. It was unbearably warm – probably thanks to the roaring fire going in the fireplace and there were shelf-style work tables around the outsides of the room, all covered in books and candles and weird symbols. There was also a small pen – probably for the lamb – and a big wardrobe that was hanging open. There were black robes hanging up inside it and boxes piled up on one side. 

Bath ignored it all and grabbed Hip’s face. 

“Oh thank god,” he whispered, hugging Hip, and clutching him desperately. 

“Finally!” Reggie said, “hurry up and untie us!” he demanded. Bath wanted to punch him but he knew he had a point so he crouched down and tried to undo some of the knots. They were complicated looking and Bath struggled to untie them. 

“I will leave you here,” he snapped, mostly joking. 

“Please don’t,” Reggie said, voice tight with panic. 

Bath looked at him with wide eyes. “Christ Reggie I wasn’t serious,” he said, and Reggie visibly relaxed. 

“Oh thank god, I know I’m an asshole sometimes,” he said. 

Bath blinked at him, “that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you to _die,_ ” he said, going back to the knots. 

“They drugged the spaghetti!” Hip said.

“Yeah no shit, how the hell did they get you?” Bath asked, he knew Hip hadn’t eaten any.

“That’s why they got me,” Hip said, “they were taking Reggie and they figured out I wasn’t asleep,” he said. Bath’s hands curled into fists and he had to force himself to relax them so he could keep fiddling with the knots. “I win by the way, I told you something messed up was going on,” Hip said and Bath blew an exasperated breathe between his clenched teeth. 

“Not the time Hip,” he said. After a moment he finally managed to get one undone and Reggie cursed in relief, wiggling his way free. Bath felt a spike of annoyance, he’d been trying to untie Hip first. 

“These fucking _knots–_ ” Bath swore. 

There was a crash upstairs and everyone froze. 

Then Bath was up and snatching the stick, holding it up again like a bat and watching the stairs as a pair of shoes appeared and started down. It wasn’t until Isha’s head appeared that Bath let the stick drop. Isha gave him a wide eyed look.

“What the hell dude you were supposed to go _with_ me,” she whisper snapped at him.

Bath just glared and went back to untying the knots. 

“No– we have to hide, Mr. Frederickson is right behind me,” Isha said, it just made Bath work harder to try and untie Hip. Reggie had one hand free and he was working on getting himself free. “I came in here to warn your dumbass,” Isha hissed.

“Bath, if you hide and wait until he comes in you can jump out once you know Ms. V isn’t following him,” Hip said. Bath ignored him. “Reggie and I can just pretend to still be tied up,” he said, Bath clenched his teeth. 

“You _are_ still tied up,” he snapped. 

“I’m not,” Reggie said, holding up his freed hands and grinning like an idiot. 

“Kent it’s a good plan, I don’t know if Ms. Versimold’s behind him or not, and we’d have the element of surprise,” Isha said. Bath just clenched his teeth and kept trying to untie the knots. 

“I knocked out Mr. F and we can take Ms. V,” he said. 

“Great, so now they’re both pissed, _come on_ Kent we need to hide,” Isha insisted. 

“Bath go, we’ll be fine just–”

The door upstairs opened and Bath’s hands started shaking but he almost had the knot if he could just–

Isha grabbed him and started dragging him backwards. 

“No–Isha no I had it–” he tried, clawing against her. She slapped a hand over his mouth and stuffed them both into the wardrobe. Hip kicked the stick over and Isha picked it up right as she started closing the door. She left it open enough that they could peek out and watch as Reggie sat back down and situated himself so it looked like he was still tied up. Then Mr. Frederickson stomped down the stairs. He had the lamb under his arm and blood leaking from the side of his head. 

“Fucking _teenagers,_ ” he cursed, tossing the lamb into it’s pen. 

“Fucking _teachers,_ ” Hip cursed back, getting a glare. Bath wanted to strangle him – both of them. 

“Shut it punk, I put up with your know-it-all ass in class because I’m getting paid, here not so much,” Mr. F threatened. 

“What about your satanic bullshit,” Hip spat, Mr. F laughed as he passed him, going over to one of the tables and rifling around for something. 

“Satan doesn’t care if you’re missing fingers,” he said.

For some reason that didn’t deter Hip. “You’re psychotic,” he said. 

It just make Mr. F laugh and he turned around, now holding a needle. 

“And you need to be quiet now,” he said, taking one step forward. Reggie whimpered and passed out at the sight of the needle, which meant he fell out of the chair and revealed he wasn’t tied up at all. Mr. F stared at the seat and before he could move Bath and Isha burst out of the closet swinging. 

This time Mr. F was somehow ready for the stick, and he grabbed it, snarling as he tried to jerk it out of Bath’s hands. Isha stepped in and punched Mr. F hard in the chest. He coughed, but somehow managed to keep hold of Bath’s stick. Suddenly Hip slammed the chair he was still tied to into Mr. F – trapping him against the workbench. Mr. F snarled and grabbed a handful of Hip’s hair, yanking it back so that Hip cried out and Bath saw red. 

He dropped the stick and decked Mr. F – right in the nose. Mr. F’s eyes started watering as his nose gushed blood, but he stayed conscious. 

“ _Motherfuckers–_ ” he spat, and then Reggie appeared, slamming his fist into the side of Mr. F’s face. Mr. F collapsed and all four of the students just stood there, breathing heavy and waiting for him to stand back up. He didn’t. 

Then Bath remembered Hip was still tied up and he looked around for a knife, there was a weird, black handled one of the table that he used to cut the ropes and then they all bolted, heads on swivels and trying to keep quiet as they watched for Ms. Versimold to pop out of the woods. 

She didn’t and they got back to the cabin to find the door hanging open. 

“Connie,” Isha gasped at the same time as Reggie’s “Leticia,” and they both grabbed more sticks and raced inside. Bath had given Hip his stick and he was still clutching the knife. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)

**Author's Note:**

> I'll literally owe you what's left of my soul if you comment <333 Thanks for reading so far!!! I hope you've enjoyed this shit show! XD


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